Visa ban lifted

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THE Government has granted Australians entering Papua New Guinea a visa-on-arrival status as part of a plan to allow easy travel arrangements for people from Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) countries.
But a Government spokesman clarified yesterday that the visa-on-arrival arrangement was for tourists only and not for other purposes “such as business or journalism”.
The Government had in January 2014 stopped the visa-on-arrival arrangement for Australians when the two governments failed to agree on a reciprocal visa arrangement for their citizens.
The spokesman at the Prime Minister’s Office media unit yesterday said the National Executive Council had granted the visa-on-arrival arrangement to “further increase tourist arrival numbers, particularly from Apec countries”.
He (the spokesman) said it would also have “a direct positive impact on local business”.
“It is important to note that this visa on arrival for Australians is for tourists and not for other purposes such as business or journalism,” he said.
“Immigration officials are checking as people arrive and those found to be attempting to enter the country on the wrong visas, face fines and refused of entry.
“As we move closer to Apec in 2018, there will be a lot of media attention on Papua New Guinea. This will focus on the economic development of the nation.
“But as part of regional and global media attention, PNG will showcase spectacular culture and the diverse features of the country to billions of people, and this will increase tourism interest.”
He said Prime Minister Peter O’Neill wanted citizens from all Apec member economies “to have tourist visa on arrival in Papua New Guinea”.
The visa-on-arrival issue will be one of the topics to be discussed at the Apec tourism working group meeting in Kokopo next week. Hosted by the Tourism Promotion Authority, the meeting will bring together tourism officials from Apec member economies to look at how to expand tourism in the region, particularly in the developing countries.
This is also in preparation for the Apec Tourism Ministers’ meeting in Papua New Guinea 2018.
PNG Tourism Promotion Authority chief executive officer Jerry Agus said – in a tourism promotion by Air Niugini – he was delighted by the news.