Recognition as tourist destination

 PAPUA New Guinea has come a long way in its effort to prove itself as a worthy travel destination, the Tourism Promotion Authority says.  

“We are extremely proud of what our country is achieving and we commend our officers both here and abroad, our tourism industry and those of us in our nation who strive  to make visitors feel welcome and who positively encourage visitors to our country,” marketing director Alice Kuaningi said. 

The recent acknowledgment from prominent travel publications by journalists brought in by the PNG TPA have greatly enhanced PNG’s status as a must-see travel destination.

Wanderlust, the United Kingdom’s most successful travel magazine, recently announced its Reader’s Travel Award Winners for 2015 and PNG took out the gold award for “Top Emerging Destination” – receiving an incredible 100 per cent of votes from its annual travel awards survey.  

The results were announced last month at London’s prestigious Destinations Show.

Chris Lee, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) UK marketing manager, was thrilled at receiving the award on behalf of PNG, acknowledging the UK team and the entire TPA organisation.

PNG’s travel destination presence was on the rise in North America, especially with the recent popular New York Times Travel magazine listing PNG on its Top 52 places to go in 2015, where it makes an entry at number 29 – its appeal and lure being remoteness, mega cruise ship tours and successful eco-lodges to match the growing number of environment conscious travellers.

The world’s most successful travel publisher Lonely Planet listed PNG on its Top New Travel Experiences for 2015, highlighting village home-stays at Tufi, in Northern, as a must for travellers after a unique and authentic experience.

“The Travel Award and our growing recognition in the international travel scene is largely the result of our destination marketing offices that are passionate as well as hardworking in their promotion of PNG within their markets,” Kuaningi said.