Meeting seen as tool to boost tourism plan

This week’s Apec 52nd Tourism Working Group meeting will help Papua New Guinea’s plans to promote sustainable tourism for communities, says Tourism Promotion chief executive Jerry Agus.
Speaking during the opening of the meeting at the Convention Centre in Port Moresby yesterday, he said this was an opportunity to put forward PNG’s policy agenda which included voluntourism (volunteer tourism).
This is the combined act of tourism and volunteering, where volunteer services are delivered free at the point of delivery at the destination.
The duration of volunteering can last from a few hours to a year, done by domestic or international tourists.
According to a recent Apec report on Voluntourism Best Practices in the Asia-Pacific Region, voluntourism was a fast-growing multi-billion-dollar segment of the global tourism industry, driven by tourists who mainly want to connect with local communities.
“PNG is not only an emerging economy but a diverse economy,” Agus told delegates at the meeting. “I am sure there will also be information sharing on other important areas of tourism development affecting our Asia-Pacific region.”
“The 52nd Tourism Working Group is part of a number of activities and side events which we have organised during your stay here in Port Moresby.”
Agus added that the meeting would also feature the country’s friendly culture
The Apec Twg was formed in 1991 to help support growth in the region through travel and tourism.
It serves as a platform for tourism administrators of Apec economies to share information, exchange views and develop areas of co-operation in tourism trade and policies.
Nime Baundo, an artist who runs a small-to-medium-sized enterprise (Sme) told The National that sales of his art work to tourists was tough because there was not enough awareness about scheduled visits by tourists to the country.
He said a tourist ship had visited Port Moresby on one occasion but he was not given prior notice and did not have an opportunity to sell his products.