Lecturer: Tourism relevant for times

by MIRIAM MALAWA

THE seventh Tourism Convention hosted by third-year University of PNG tourism and hospitality students focused on reinventing the tourism experience and developing relationships within the industry.    

The programme was part of the students’ external assessment of the course “Convention and Event Management” that makes up 50% of their assessments. 

The annual event that started in 2007 has a twin target, an exhibition with more than 20 exhibitors and a conference featuring speakers from organisations, including the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Boka Kondra.

Head of divison at UPNG Joyce Rayel said the tourism  industry had been acknowledged as one of the most relevant economic and sociological phenomena of the present time. 

“In this era, this sector constitutes a structural element of the dynamics of the global economy since it was established as one of the most important and powerful sectors worldwide,” she said. 

Rayel said the industry was struggling to transform the destination image of the country by the public and private sectors.

“We are confronted with all these tourism dilemmas and it’s about time to intellectually and strategically re-align our focus and directions towards the path,” she said. 

“This issue has also pressed the students to come up with the theme: Re-inventing Tourism Experience in PNG – Strategic Leadership, Innovation and Co-creation for Sustainability”. 

Student representative Thomas Buge said industrial relationship was vital for the development of the tourism market because that would sustain PNG’s economy when natural resources were exhausted.