PNG flagged as high risk, says authority

PAPUA New Guinea is being flagged as an extremely high security-risk destination, particularly for travellers from the United States, Australia and China, according to a Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) research.
TPA chief executive officer Eric Uvovo said two cruise liners scheduled to visit the country this year had to cancel their PNG trip because of the Jan 10 civil unrest.
He said a TPA research team reached the conclusion after monitoring travel advisories and media coverage from key source markets, all pointing to the high security risk rating.
“TPA strongly condemns the recent attack on tourists at Roku Beach in Central, the brutal killings in the Highlands, and the kidnapping of a helicopter crew in Hela,” he said.
“These heinous acts not only devastate communities and local service-providers, but also have significant repercussions on the tourism industry in PNG.
“PNG has faced a torrent of negative publicity, not only from these incidents, but also from the civil unrest that caused an inferno of international media coverage casting a shadow over the entire country, and painting a picture of PNG as an unsafe destination for travellers.”
He said the tourism industry was already being affected by the publicity concerning the burgeoning law and order issues in the country.
“In light of the serious law and order issues traumatising our country’s economy, we seek immediate intervention by the Government to curb the surge in violent crimes,” he added.
“Normalcy must be restored to encourage consumer confidence in PNG as a tourist destination.”
He urged Papua New Guineans to be responsible law-abiding citizens, demonstrating respect, care and national pride not just for tourists, but for every PNG resident.
He advised people planning to visit PNG to book their travel with reputable tour operators in the country.
If international visitors require further information about tour operators, they can contact TPA.