Developing Papua New Guinea’s Tourism Sector

Abstract

This paper focuses on tourism in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and a range of challenges that hinder the progress of tourism development. Over the years, tourism has seen continued growth and increasing expansion to become one of the leading and fastest growing economic sectors across the globe (Mihalic 2014; Rayel et al. 2014; SPTO 2018). Modern tourism is directly connected to developmental progress and includes an increasing number of new sites being developed as tourist destinations (Mihalic 2014; Rayel et al. 2014; UNWTO 2016). With its vast and untouched natural environment, PNG has a great deal of potential as a tourist destination (Rayel et al. 2014). However, tourism visitation to PNG in the last few years has been relatively low compared to smaller Pacific Island countries (Rayel et al. 2014; Sumb 2017). In 2006, the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority (PNG TPA) released the Papua New Guinea Tourism Sector Review and Master Plan (2007–2017), the aim of which was to bolster tourism growth.The PNG TPA identified a number of factors that dissuaded potential tourists from visiting such as insufficient infrastructure, concerns about adequate health services and the dangers posed to tourists by criminal activities (Basu 2000; Bhanugopan 2001; PNG TPA 2006; Rayel et al. 2014). The objective of this paper is to investigate, identify and discuss the factors that deter tourists from visiting PNG