‘Decision bad for tourism’

THE Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) are concerned with the manner in which the Goroka Show was cancelled in the last minute recently.
Minister Isi Henry Leonard and TPA chief executive officer Eric Mossman Uvovo in a joint statement said such cancellation only pushed the tourism sector further back.
They said while they appreciated the need to protect lives was paramount, given the surge in the Coronavirus (Covid-19), decisions to cancel or otherwise should be done in a timely and professional manner to protect the interest of major corporate sponsors, including TPA which provided funding support of K150,000 to the show.
Leonard said the Covid-19 had definitely affected the global tourism market and the ministry’s priority now was to re-focus on domestic travel and tourism, and cultural festivals such as the show was the right platform to grow domestic tourism.
“I am disappointed with the last-minute cancellation because I am sure the show organising committee would have taken all necessary steps needed to ensure the new normal was adhered to and this would have been communicated to relevant authorities in the province,” Leonard said.
Uvovo said business houses and corporate bodies had spent a lot of time and resources travelling to Goroka only to be disappointed by the cancellation on the eve of the show.
“We are disappointed because it reflects badly on the host province and it will take another three to four years to win back the trust and confidence of corporate houses in terms of sponsorship for the show in the future,” he said.
“Many local Papua New Guineans and international in-country guests were also left stranded and disappointed.”
Uvovo said many locals, including women, bilum makers, weavers and carvers, missed out on earnings while the local economy lost K10 million in earnings for the weekend show.
He called on the respective authorities in the provinces to consult with the relevant national authorities and corporate entities before making such rash decisions in future in order to protect their long-term business and tourism interests.