Street vendors need to know exchange rates
By ELIZABETH VUVU
PEOPLE in Papua New Guinea, especially street vendors, need to be more aware of currency exchange rates.
An American tourist on board the cruise vessel ms Statendem of the Holland American Lines said this yesterday in Rabaul, East New Britain, when the vessel berthed into the Simpson Harbour.
Ed Champy, 70, from Boston, US, and a former college professor, made the comments after trying to buy some souvenirs from local street vendors in Rabaul, who thought the value of the American dollar was same as that of the kina.
He said the value of the American dollar was higher than the kina and it was important that local people, especially street vendors, needed to understand this to enable foreign exchange trade to go on easily.
Mr Champy, described his first visit to the country as “wonderful”.
“People were courteous and very helpful to tourists,” he said.
He saw Rabaul as primitive in the sense that there were not many shops scattered all over the place.
“But I can see rapid development taking place in the area,” he added.
Ms Statendem arrived in the province as early as 7am with approximately 1,200 passengers, mostly of American nationality and with a crew of 571.
The vessel stayed on for nine hours and tourists, mostly retired and a few young ones, were taken around the province in PMV buses and trucks to show tourist attraction sites.
The vessel sailed out at 5pm the same day.
It was handled by the Inchcape Shipping Services in Rabaul at the Rabaul wharf.
Branch manageress Antonia Cheong said after the visit of the vessel that the company had handled two cruise vessels so far.
The first was the famous Peace Boat TSS Topaz that came early this year. It comes on a world tour every year.
The company is expecting another tourist vessel next month.
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