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By SHEILA LASIBORI
CULTURE and Tourism Minister Charles Abel says he is aware of the
controversy surrounding the National Museum and Art Gallery following
the Public Accounts Committee’s investigations.
Mr Abel said that he would be making a submission to the National
Executive Council after he was properly briefed on the matter, adding
that his aim in dealing with the institution would be fair to all
parties, the interests of the institution and also for the cultural
property being kept at the gallery.
Mr Abel made these known last Friday during a press conference where he
announced the actions his ministry and his electorate offices were
taking in tourism and improvements for the Alotau Open electorate.
He also revealed that his electorate had about K3.5 million left from
the last Parliament in district support grants and district support
improvement programme.
He said this money would be used for the district, where a team back in
the district was mobilising the funds.
As minister responsible for tourism, he also announced the steps the
department would be taking alongside other stakeholders to improve
tourism in the country.
Mr Abel said the Gurney airport in Milne Bay and Tokua in East New
Britain would be upgraded to international level airports.
These comments were in line with those by Transport and Civil Aviation
Minister Don Polye two weeks ago.
“I am going to focus initially in my term on removing some of the
structural impediments to tourism such as not having to go through Port
Moresby when transiting but being able to fly directly into an
international airport in a tourist province.
“This will make it possible to obtain visas at the airport and
encouraging a number of large foreign resorts to invest in the country,”
he said, adding PNG is much closer to Australia but was very expensive
compared to tourist destinations like Fiji.
 
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