High airfare and accommodation killing the PNG tourism industry

Thursday, 10 October 2024, 3:56 pm

Tourists cross a creek on the Kokoda trail (Image: Supplied)

The tourism demand in Papua New Guinea dropped significantly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with international arrivals falling from 164,000 to 21,000 [85% decline].

The recovery has been gradual, with an estimated 20% increase in 2022 and further growth projected into 2024 as restrictions eased and eco-tourism gained momentum.

Tourism Promotion Authority Chief Executive Officer, Eric Mossman Uvovo said in 2023 they received about 140,000 International tourists, and this year, 2024 they expect 145,000 tourists to come into the country.

“Over 50% of the international tourists come from Australia followed by Asia especially China is our big market, America and Europe with at least 5%,” Mr. Uvovo said.

But a concern now is high airfares and accommodation which is likely to make the tourists don’t want to travel.

Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Belden Namah said the high airfares and accommodation costs in Papua New Guinea can hinder tourism growth by making the destination less affordable for international visitors.

He said this could particularly affect budget travellers and limit the influx of tourists from middle-income countries as well as local tourists.

“We need to look at the airfares of our airlines and make our environment conducive. Airfares must be reduced, and the government must subsidize to attract tourism not only international but local tourists going from one province to another,” Mr Namah said at the recent World Tourism Day conference in Port Moresby.

Mr. Uvovo also reaffirms that airfares are a big issue for tourism but it's something they are working with their partners to control.

“We cannot control the airfares but we’re working with our partners the airline companies to come up with affordable rates for our tourists.

“We have bigger issues with domestic tourism, which is also very expensive, we are also working with the airline services providers for affordable airfares. We are also working with the National Airports Corporation to provide us with the number of people moving in and out of the provinces,” Mr. Ovovo said.