PACIFIC/PNG: Crime Blamed for 1 Percent Drop in PNG Tourism

CRIME BLAMED FOR 1 PERCENT DROP IN PNG TOURISM

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Oct. 2) – Papua New Guinea's 
law and order problems continue to be a major obstacle to tourists, according 
to Culture and Tourism Minister Nick Kuman.

Presenting the Tourism Promotion Authority Report for 2002 to Parliament 
yesterday, Mr Kuman said PNG received 53,670 visitors in 2002, a 1 percent 
reduction in the total number of visitor arrivals from 2001.

Mr Kuman said last year's performance was also "patchy" due to international 
crises beyond our control coupled with impediments to tourism growth in PNG.

"The reduction in the number of visitor arrivals was attributed by various 
internal and external factors.

"Foremost, our law and order problems, coupled with negative media 
publicities, social unrest, high cost of international marketing against our 
weak kina, the Bali bombing, SARS and the Sept 11 terrorist attack in the 
United States," he said.

"The PNG Tourism Promotion Authority at present in its efforts to promote and 
market PNG tourism products and PNG as a tourism destination has and would 
continue to maintain its international representative offices in Frankfurt in 
Germany, Tokyo in Japan and Los Angeles in the USA and open up offices in 
Australia."

Mr Kuman said the PNGTPA's international offices have been an important 
factor to expose PNG as a total tourism destination as well as to counter 
adverse publicity on PNG.

The Minister called on MPs to recognise tourism as a revenue generating 
industry, long after the minerals era.

"Finally, I request that this Honorable House give a serious thought to this 
export orientated industry that is sustainable," he said. 

October 3, 2003

Papua New Guinea Post-Courier: www.postcourier.com.pg/

 

SOURCE: Pacific Islands Report