National tourism conference to set the course for PNG’s potential in the next 50 years

The inaugural Papua New Guinea National Tourism Conference will provide an avenue for people and stakeholders involved to chart the way forward for tourism in the country.

The conference will be held from 8 - 10 April this year, under the theme ‘Indigenize our arts and culture, modernize our infrastructure, and promote peace and unity in diversity’.

Minister for Tourism, Arts & Culture, Beldan Namah said it is a deliberate initiative, planned with full awareness of the significance, especially with the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's birth as an independent nation.

“The timing is perfect for such a national conference,” Namah said during the announcement of the conference dates and sponsorship.

“It gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reflect on our journey as a sector and industry since 1975, and also to plan our pathways ahead into the next 50 years.”

Namah said the maiden national conference would also be an opportunity for people to start thinking differently and more radically about how to elevate tourism to be a top-performing sector in PNG, just like the rest of the economic industries.

“I want all of us to embrace the conference as a watershed event in our country, one that draws from the experiences of the last 50 years to inspire and drive the tourism sector towards unprecedented successes in our country,” he said.

“As the national government prepares the country to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we in the tourism, arts, and cultural sector have the best seat in the country to contribute to this celebration in a profound and meaningful way.

“We are best placed to show the world our incredible diversity in arts, culture, traditions, language, and tourism attractions.

“We are best placed to make the world wonder how on earth every Papua New Guinean is able to maintain its unity in such extraordinary diversity.

Mineral Resource Development Company will partner Tourism Promotion Authority to host the event with a K250,000 sponsorship.

MRDC managing director Augustine Mano said tourism is one sector which has been underutilized and not much care and attention given by all stakeholders who are involved in that.

“Tourism has the potential to transform this country if we get the structure and the organization right and get all the stakeholders involved,” Mano said when revealing the financial support.

“We [tourism] can be a powerhouse, and we can contribute. That's why MRDC, we've been involved in hospitality, aviation, energy, all this but at the macro level.

“But at the micro level, right down to where the people are, that is where we believe there'll be an impact so that's why we've decided to partner with TPA and to promote that as a sector to be recognized and to transform this country besides agriculture and all these other sectors in the economy. Our commitment with TPA is there. It's a long-term arrangement and we've come up with that sponsorship.”

Minister Namah acknowledged the support as both parties work towards unbundling the immense potential in the tourism sector in our country.