Pelika banks on tourism

By MALUM NALU
Remote Menyamya in Morobe will be banking on tourism to take the district forward, says MP Thomas Pelika.
He says this on Thursday last week after signing a memorandum-of-understanding with Tourism Promotion Authority chief executive officer Jerry Agus to develop tourism in Menyamya.
Menyamya, which borders Marawaka in Eastern Highlands and Kaintiba in Gulf, is the home of some of the most feared warriors of the bygone era, known as the Kukukukus.
The process of pacification from the 1930s to the 1950s is well-documented by the Australian kiaps (patrol officers) who served in that unforgiving land.
Pelika thanks Agus and TPA for coming on board to partner and develop the untapped tourism potential of Menyamya.
Agus says the MOU binds Menyamya and TPA to develop the unique tourism attractions of Menyamya.
It is the second Morobe district, after Huon Gulf, to sign an MOU with TPA.
Agus says TPA started its relationship with Menyamya last year, with a cultural show, and is now cemented with the MOU.
He says TPA will assist with training for guest house owners, tourism product owners, and how to deal with tourists
A TPA team will travel to Menyamya as early as possible to map out the tourism potential of the district.
Morobe province also has an MOU with TPA which it signed last year.
“Tourism offers free money to Papua New Guinea,” Pelika says.
“We have the potential which we have not tapped into.
“I commend TPA for the initiative it is taking to develop rural areas like Menyamya.
“I also thank the O’Neill-Abel Government for allocating a large budget to tourism.
“It is an honor for Menyamya to be the second district, after Huon Gulf, to enter into such an agreement with TPA.”
Pelika says Menyamya has many tourism attractions such as the world-famous Smoked Bodies of Aseki, the historic Bulldog Trail, culture, environment and four-wheel drive and motorcycle adventures.
The best news is that the road between Bulolo and Menyamya has been fixed by Government and traffic flow is back to normal.
Pelika says his district is taking a zero-tolerance attitude towards crime as it moves towards promoting tourism.
He says his district will also be looking at promoting homestays to tourists around the world.
Agus says Menyamya has something that is unique in the Smoked Bodies and unspoiled culture.
“The Anga culture is intact and unique,” he said.
“Menyamya offers trekking, mountain-climbing and others that we can build on.”
“If you look at Menyamya and Aseki, one of the major attractions is the mummified bodies.
“Then there is the culture, which is very intact.
“If you go to other places, there is an element of modernisation.
Now that the roads have been fixed, Pelika has bought two trucks, using district funds, to transport the local people and visitors to and from Menyamya.
Menyamya also produces some of Papua New Guinea’s finest coffee, which Pelika is looking to promote, together with tourism.
“Menyamya produces the best organic coffee in Papua New Guinea,” he tells me proudly.
“Production has dropped over the years because of transport difficulties.
“My stand is that every family must have two hectares of coffee.
“Menyamya is coffee country.
“We have coffee all year around.”
Honey is another commodity Menyama is looking to produce more of.
“Our honey is world-class,” Pelika says.
“We’re selling Menyamya honey in Port Moresby and Lae already, and everyone likes it.”
For those who once were warriors, the winds of change are now blowing across Menymya, with tourism at the forefront.