Number of international visitors drops by 83pc

THE number of international visitors to the country last year decreased by around 82 per cent because of the Covid-19 pandemic and its adverse impact on travelling, according to the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA).
Only 39,000 international visitors were recorded in 2020 – 170,000 less than in 2019 – the lowest recorded in the past 20 years.
According to the 2020 visitor arrivals report, Australia remains PNG’s largest source market.
In 2019, 103,440 Australians came to PNG.
In 2020, the number decreased by 86 per cent to only 14,871.
“Visitors from the Philippines were the second largest international travelers to PNG in 2020, while visitors from China were third,” the authority stated
“Visitors from the Philippines and China dropped by 71 per cent and 84 per cent respectively.”
The report revealed that visitors came to PNG for employment, business, holiday, visiting friends and family, education, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions and sports.
In 2020, 54 per cent of visitors came for employment purposes.
“Only 8 per cent came as tourists.
Those who came for a holiday numbered 3,399 – an 87.5 per cent decrease from 2019 which recorded 25,199 genuine tourists.
“All tourists arriving in PNG in 2020 were by air.
“No cruise ship visitors were recorded due to the Government’s ban on cruise ships entering the nation’s sea ports.
“The international visitor exit survey conducted by the TPA revealed that tourists had spent an estimated K156 million in 2020 – K560 million a less than in 2019 which recorded K715 million in expenditure.”