Tourism in Papua New Guinea
Encyclopedia
Tourism in Papua New Guinea
is fledgling but there are many attractions for the potential visitor. These include culture
, markets, festival
s, diving
, surfing
, hiking
, fishing
and the unique flora and fauna. Each year about 70 000 tourists visit Papua.
". They were the first company to offer tourism to New Guinea, in 1884, advertising the 'New Guinea Excursion Trip'. This consisted of a five week trip from Thursday Island and has been described as the "official beginning of tourist cruises in the South Pacific". The company later published a book titled Picturesque Travel.
By 1914 the Burns Philp Tourist Department was established advertising tours on Lord Howe and Norfolk Island. Acquisition of the Port Moresby Hotel occurred in the same year, with the Papua Hotel purchased some years later. Burns Philp "maintained a near monopoly on passenger services to Melanesia until the outbreak of the war in the Pacific". The war saw the British government take over some of the Burns Philp fleet and the vessel Macdui was sunk in Port Moresby in 1942 as its first voyage as a troop carrier.
Public festivals which are open to tourists include the Coffee Festivalin Goroka - May, National Mask Festival in Rabaul-July, Mt Hagen Show - August, Goroka Show
- September, Hiri Moale Festival in Port Moresby
- September, Morobe Show in Lae - October, Kundu & Canoe Festival in Alotau - November.
In addition to a large number of reef sites, there are also numerous wrecked World War II boats and aircraft, providing a wealth of Wreck Diving opportunities. Some of the best dive spots are at West New Britain/Kimbe Bay, Kavieng
, Madang
, Alotau
, Tufi
and East New Britain/Rabaul. The capital, Port Moresby, also offers superb diving.
Many of the diving spots are easily accessible by day trip boat, and there are many sites further out which can be dived from one of the many liveaboards offered locally.
, Bougainville
, and East New Britain
which can be surfed from June through to September. In the north of PNG surfing season is mid October to late April. There are great surfing locations which include Madang, Wewak
and Kavieng, with the better and more consistent waves found in Vanimo
.
, the site of a famous World War II
battle between Australia
and Japan
. Another popular hike is climbing Mount Wilhelm
, the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. There are many more walking tracks, including the very rough Bulldog
and Black Cat Track
s.
LGBT Travel Warning: LGBT rights in Papua New Guinea
, Homosexuality is prohibited. Those caught engaging in anal sex can get punished with up to 14 years imprisonment. Other homosexual acts can be punished with up to 3 years imprisonment.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
is fledgling but there are many attractions for the potential visitor. These include culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, markets, festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and the unique flora and fauna. Each year about 70 000 tourists visit Papua.
History
In April 1883, James Burns and Robert Philp began a trading partnership, originally named the "Burns Philp & Company LimitedBurns Philp
Burns Philp was once a major player in the food manufacturing business. Since its delisting from the Australian Stock Exchange in December 2006 and the subsequent sale of its assets, the company has mainly become a cashed up shell company...
". They were the first company to offer tourism to New Guinea, in 1884, advertising the 'New Guinea Excursion Trip'. This consisted of a five week trip from Thursday Island and has been described as the "official beginning of tourist cruises in the South Pacific". The company later published a book titled Picturesque Travel.
By 1914 the Burns Philp Tourist Department was established advertising tours on Lord Howe and Norfolk Island. Acquisition of the Port Moresby Hotel occurred in the same year, with the Papua Hotel purchased some years later. Burns Philp "maintained a near monopoly on passenger services to Melanesia until the outbreak of the war in the Pacific". The war saw the British government take over some of the Burns Philp fleet and the vessel Macdui was sunk in Port Moresby in 1942 as its first voyage as a troop carrier.
Culture
The culture of Papua New Guinea is highly diverse, as implied by the existence of over 800 languages in the country. Styles of cultural expression - carving, dance, singing, ornamentation, architecture, and more - vary greatly across the nation.Festivals
Goroka Show
The Goroka Show is probably the best known tribal gathering and cultural event in Papua New Guinea. It is a Sing-sing held every year close to the country's Independence Day in the town of Goroka, the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province. About 100 tribes arrive to show their music, dance and...
- September, Hiri Moale Festival in Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
- September, Morobe Show in Lae - October, Kundu & Canoe Festival in Alotau - November.
Markets
The markets are a great drawcard for tourists. Along with local foods, arts and crafts are often on display and can be purchased for reasonable prices. Some of the items on display are traditional carvings and beadwork, traditional and contemporary paintings on canvas and traditionally woven baskets and serving trays. The larger more tourist oriented markets are usually held once a month in the larger towns.Diving
PNG is arguably one of the best diving destinations in the world, having one of the healthiest coral reef systems on the planet.In addition to a large number of reef sites, there are also numerous wrecked World War II boats and aircraft, providing a wealth of Wreck Diving opportunities. Some of the best dive spots are at West New Britain/Kimbe Bay, Kavieng
Kavieng
Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2000, it had a population of 10,600....
, Madang
Madang
Madang is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century....
, Alotau
Alotau
Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay Province, a province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern shore of Milne Bay.The town is located within the area in which the invading Japanese army suffered their first land defeat in the Pacific War in 1942, before the Kokoda Track battle. A...
, Tufi
Tufi
Tufi is a town located on the south eastern peninsula of Cape Nelson, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. Tufi is located on a tropical fjord of Cape Nelson surrounded by many uncharted reefs. The area is also famous for its production of tapa cloth....
and East New Britain/Rabaul. The capital, Port Moresby, also offers superb diving.
Many of the diving spots are easily accessible by day trip boat, and there are many sites further out which can be dived from one of the many liveaboards offered locally.
Surfing
Surfing can be enjoyed all year round. The southern side of PNG includes places such as Hula Beach (100 km from Port Moresby), Milne BayMilne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
, Bougainville
Bougainville Province
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, previously known as North Solomons, is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island , and the province also includes the island of Buka and assorted outlying islands including the Carterets...
, and East New Britain
East New Britain
East New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea, on the north-eastern part of the island of New Britain and it also includes the Duke of York Islands. The capital of the province is Kokopo, not far from the old capital of Rabaul, which was largely destroyed in the 1994 volcanic eruption...
which can be surfed from June through to September. In the north of PNG surfing season is mid October to late April. There are great surfing locations which include Madang, Wewak
Wewak
Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak....
and Kavieng, with the better and more consistent waves found in Vanimo
Vanimo
Vanimo is the capital of Sandaun Province in Papua New Guinea. It is located on a peninsula close to the border with Indonesia.Vanimo is a small township with an economy based around the timber industry. Logging company Vanimo Forest Products, which is owned by Malaysian company Rimbunan Hijau, is...
.
Hiking/Trekking
The most famous walking trail in Papua New Guinea is the Kokoda TrackKokoda Track
The Kokoda Trail or Track is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland — in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea...
, the site of a famous World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
battle between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Another popular hike is climbing Mount Wilhelm
Mount Wilhelm
Mount Wilhelm is the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea at . It is part of the Bismarck Range and the peak is the point where three provinces intersect, Simbu, Western Highlands and Madang...
, the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. There are many more walking tracks, including the very rough Bulldog
Bulldog track
The Bulldog Track, also known as the Bulldog-Wau road, in the year 2004 is a foot track crossing the western end of the Owen Stanley Range of Central Papua New Guinea. The track begins near a small settlement on the upper reaches of the Lakekamu River on the south side of the ranges...
and Black Cat Track
Black Cat Track
The Black Cat Track or Trail is a rough overland track in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. It runs from the village of Salamaua on the coast of the Huon Gulf, south into the mountains to the township of Wau.-Gold Rush:...
s.
Security
Travellers to PNG should be aware of high level of violence and crime in some areas. For example, lone foreign females are usually advised not to travel unescorted in Port Moresby and in parts of the Highlands region. Travellers should seek up-to-date information about the current situation before travelling and travel with arrangements with an experienced tour operator with years of PNG experience. It is also highly advised to never travel alone or at night.LGBT Travel Warning: LGBT rights in Papua New Guinea
LGBT rights in Papua New Guinea
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Papua New Guinea face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Male homosexuality is prohibited according to section 210 of the Papua New Guinea penal code. Those caught engaging in anal sex can get punished with up to 14 years...
, Homosexuality is prohibited. Those caught engaging in anal sex can get punished with up to 14 years imprisonment. Other homosexual acts can be punished with up to 3 years imprisonment.