PAPUA New Guinea’s tourism potential as a idyllic gem in the Western Pacific has been bolstered by cruise liners in 2024. The PNG Tourism Authority released figures this week that indicate that over 24,000 tourists visited PNG in the nine months to September. More are expected before the end of the year.
The tourism kina generated from island tours and stopovers amounted to K38 million. With four more cruise liners expected in PNG waters before Christmas, the amount would be estimated over K40 million. Tourists normally buy local artefacts and handcrafts and spending time onshore visiting sights and enjoying the sounds of exotic locations.
Some like niche activities like snorkelling, fishing and diving. Tourism hot spots for ocean liners are Alotau in Milne Bay and its outer islands, Rabaul in East New Britain and Kavieng. The news of the surge in tourism numbers arriving by ship is a positive sign for coastal and island tourism and a major boost for the country.
According to PNGTPA, data provided by Inchcape Shipping indicated that a total of 24,407 visitors have arrived in PNG on 12 different international cruise ship liners. The cruise industry is playing a significant role in boosting the country’s tourism numbers, with several more vessels scheduled to arrive before the end of 2024. Between October and December, four more cruise ships are expected to bring an estimated 6548 additional visitors to PNG, further contributing to the nation’s growing tourism sector.
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