Morobe has potential for adventure tourists, says official

National

FOUR provinces and 13 districts were covered over the weekend as 10 riders gave the world a preview of the potential Morobe dirt track riding has.
The riders participated in the Morobe Motorcycle Club’s Niugini Dirt Tour of Mt Wilhelm.
Lae City Authority (LCA) interim chief executive officer Neil Ellery, who was part of the contingent, told The National that the tour was an opportunity to show what PNG was all about.
He said Lae had been seen as the industrial hub but Lae
and LCA wanted to make sure the city became a tourist attraction.
“Niugini Dirt, who organised the tour, has been very proud in promoting tourism in Lae and PNG and getting the adventure culture tourism out there,” Ellery said.
“All other parts of PNG have their own uniqueness and Lae and the city authority have their own uniqueness and adventure tourism might be it.
“We went through 13 districts and four provinces on the trip that ended up in Goroka.
“We covered Morobe going through Usino-Bundi in Madang, Chimbu and Eastern Highlands trying to make people think a little differently.”
Ellery said the Tourism Promotion Authority had told them that there was no tourism in Morobe but the LCA was here to prove that there was potential tourism in Morobe.
“We had four riders arriving from Port Moresby, six riders from Lae and about 30 Chimbu riders trying to show all the provinces working together in giving to the world a product.
“Adventure tourism around the world is enormous and we haven’t touch into it.
“People who are dirt bikers are crazy and they travel anywhere in the world to go and do it.
“Dirt bikers adventure tourism – they come for adventure.”
Ellery said Niugini Dirt had done a great job of promoting adventure tourism but it was not publicised properly or many tourists would have actually come through Lae specifically to ride motorbikes.
“The more adventure tourism gets exposed, the more the demand will come through.”