PNG’s share of the South Pacific regional tourism market is very small, at only 5 percent of total arrivals, and less than 2 percent of the holiday market

By NIGEL KAUA | COMMENTARY

At the official ceremony of opening the Goroka Cultural Show last year, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Hon. Emil Tammur told the show goers Papua New Guinea’s major cultural events countrywide will be funded directly from the National Budget every year round.

He said a policy submission to the Parliament for the National Government to fund major cultural events, shows and festivals is proceeding from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “It will be out in Parliament soon for debate and endorsement,” the Minister told the crowd in Goroka.

The major national cultural events and festivals include but not limited to; Goroka Cultural Show, Mt. Hagen Cultural Show, Jiwaka Cultural Show, Enga Cultural Show, Kutubu Kundu and Digaso Festival, Morobe Agri-Cultural Show, Madang Cultural Show, KarKar Island Bilum Festival, Goroka Bilum Festival, National Mask Festival and Warwagira in Kokopo, Sepik River Crocodile and Arts Festival, Hiri Moale Festival, Frangipani Festival in Rabaul, Kenu and Kundu Festival in Alotau and other events or festivals of similar popularity.

These festivals are increasingly being recognized for their contribution to the growth of our communities, the country and around the globe. They revitalize the communication and celebration of indigenous culture, tradition, and rituals. Additionally, indigenous cultural festivals are often used as a draw card to attract tourists and contribute to the development of the provinces and the country.

Our cultural festivals have long been essential to community life and are fundamental in sharing and sustaining indigenous culture of each event.

Local communities and the PNG Government alike are recognizing that these festivals have the capacity to facilitate development of the country’s emerging tourism and event industry.

Our cultural festivals are a relatively unspoiled resource. Tourism has had little influence on the festivals, which we celebrate, among other things, the culture and traditions. However, as tourism gains momentum, arguably a key issue will be the extent to which tourism development adopts the principles of sustainability.

Little to no effort has been made to gain a more comprehensive of cultural festivals within the context of tourism.

Yet the safety, or lack thereof, for visitors is not the only recognizable issue associated with tourism and/ or attending indigenous cultural festivals. Generally, there are relatively poor and unreliable support services like the police and ambulance, various health risks such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, quite limited resources and infrastructure to support the cultural events, limited and unreliable access to technology such as internet, and expensive domestic travel costs with some associated safety concerns.

Information for tourists traveling to and within PNG is limited and not easily accessible for travelers, and Australia’s Smart Traveler website repeatedly makes mention of the need to exercise caution while traveling in PNG, to maintain awareness of personal safety, particularly at night, and to continuously monitor the local media for warnings on new safety and security risks.

In general, tourism development in PNG has failed to keep pace with the rest of the world. In the South Pacific, tourism represents a major opportunity for small island nations to increase their economic base, expand foreign exchange earnings and enhance the standard of living for their people.

Yet PNGs’ share of the South Pacific regional market is very small, at only 5 percent of total arrivals, and less than 2 percent of the holiday market. This indicates the low level of development of this market compared to other neighboring countries, as well as the importance of the business market to PNG.

This can be attributed to a lack of support for the tourism industry by the PNG Government over the last few years. There is a lack of adequate infrastructure to support tourism in PNG. This can be evidenced at the Mt. Hagen Cultural Show where limited accommodation facilities are all booked out in advance so any additional participants arriving at the festival cannot find accommodation because of lack of infrastructure.

Additionally, PNG faces many challenges pertaining to law and order and visitors’ safety in some parts of PNG can be, and often is, problematic. Travel warnings about PNG can be found on numerous government websites around the globe like the Australia’s Smart Traveler website and travel bloggers.

But the reality is sometimes not always as reported; we cannot say it is safe or unsafe. Any city in the world has its own problems. But the striking thing is that those who travel to PNG always make positive comments about the country. A survey report in 2018 indicates, more than 60% of the holiday seekers said they wanted to return some day in the future. – Via Garamut News.