BY BARNEY ORERE
borere @ spp, com.pg
We agreed a long time ago that tourism is everyone’s business.
It still is, except that Covid changed the rules by offering structural damage.
We were starting to embrace local tourism as the way forward when COVID first emerged. But that did not change our beautiful place.
If COVID is here to stay, it means rearranging what we know.
COVID seems to be on the increase, so planning under duress will help us come up with innovative ideas.
If the pandemic is declared over, we may still have COVID, but ideas developed in difficult times will take us across the line.
Tourism ideas will give us the ideas we need.
EVENTS
In Tokyo, the world’s largest city, the sweet potato was as big as a bottle lid. In a **** Brisbane hotel, a slice of papaya costs $ 10. It was no smaller than a bank card.
Do you see that purple sweet potato or red papaya can beat COVID? If people don’t come, send it to them! See food as a key part of tourism.
When an event occurs in a city, accommodation options go to accommodations that have the capacity, the food that visitors want to eat, and the comfort at affordable rates.
Tourist packages will be there for those who have a day to spare in their schedule.
This type of sightseeing will generally be provided by internal transport and of a limiting nature.
When locals know visitors are in town, they will set up stalls selling souvenirs.
They can sell Kulau, fruits and the kinds of things Papuans like to eat. Whether it’s a beach visit, swimming or picnic, things go with picnic ideas like cucumber, Kulau, kalamansi, rambutan and others depending on what the season is.
Teach people to sew shirts.
Teach them how to make fresh juice from mangoes, pineapples, using electricity. These will be healthier than the processed ones.
Electricity is a game-changer and you just have to go to places like Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia to see how electricity is helping people make a living.
Selling fresh juice will require strict hygiene, which raises standards.
Beach owners can be paid for the use of their beach if they provide toilets and keep the beach clean.
These things can be settled by the hotel / lodge and collected on the final customer invoice.
Canteens operated on the beach can sell toilet paper, cooking oil and insect repellants so these things are not bought and taken on picnics from town shops.
The thing to remember is knowing where the craft stalls are and getting the guests there.
Running souvenir shops inside hotels should be someone else’s business, not the hotel.
Governors can create opportunities for their provinces, but the national government should broadcast its workshops and conferences across the country.
Provinces should be encouraged to develop conference facilities because it is essential for the development of local tourism; we make it happen to us.
Food & Fun
There might be outrigger canoes for a walk on the water if you’ve never been there before; each person paying a small fee for the experience.
Or maybe rental kayaks for paddling or bikes if there are trails that are great for exercise or taking pictures.
Gyms and hair salons are part of it.
Costume shops are another; for example, the costumes of Santa Claus or transform our feathers and our strings into contemporaries. Soon it will be difficult to find feathers or snake / lizard skins for bongo drums.
Local people can go out and organize a dance which will be included in the tour package so that the artisans are paid.
Traditional dance or brass band looks ordinary in a hotel.
But take it to a beach or a lake and things change really quickly.
Nowadays, people like their Facebook to share their experiences.
Many people who do this will expose the country to the outside world.
Food that the lodge requires can be provided by a supplier.
It means developing the kinds of things that will support the industry.
Then the supplier arrives.
Someone else can provide transportation.
It has to be suitable – space, comfort, clean, air conditioned and with sound system so that the guide can tell stories to tourists.
Your place should have stories to tell and a good storyteller.
A place without history will be boring.
Country and western music add its flavor to a beautiful setting.
Ask customers who book what type of vacation it is; is it a honeymoon, for example, and come up with some memorable ideas.
Many people who attend gatherings will be elderly or busy people who have little time for leisure and therefore want to make the most of their escape; you alone should provide the opportunities and put yourself in their shoes.
Usually these are the people who have the money, so this is the only way to get their money.
Otherwise, they will take their money and go home.
It is no different in the case of foreign tourists; only the same concept is translated locally.
ATTRACTIONS
Local attractions need to be coordinated to make it everyone’s business.
But don’t be boring; fun ideas start with you.
If you are an elderly person who took the woman with you, make sure she is having fun too.
Local tour operators can take care of it rather than leaving it at the hotel.
The hotel should also encourage local participation to expand and share the opportunities.
And don’t forget the family at home who will want to welcome you again.
Bring them food from another place with souvenirs.
These little treats build family cohesion and also help the local economy when you do that.
You can plan a vacation in PNG instead of going abroad.
What is most important can be decided by parents; adventure, hiking, nature, culture – to give them ideas about what children want to be in the future.
Eat nutritious foods.
Get a taste of what’s new or different.
There is a serious problem with lifestyle diseases and professionals who die too soon.
The exterior and the fruits are good for the mind, body and soul.
Adventure tourism is something else; very few busy people have the interest and the time to venture out.
But this is where the life changing experiences of the youngest people are found.
PLACES
Go to the Nusa Island Resort in Kavieng for fishing and snorkeling.
The Rapopo Plantation Resort near Kokopo can take you to the alluring Duke of York Islands. Sightseeing tours should take into account travel time and stress issues.
These can be managed by distributing opportunities, but service providers must meet the standards that are the job of government enterprise development officers.
Organize workshops and train people.
Topics can include clean villages, hygiene and sanitation, food preparation.
Governments can invest in electricity and water to support these interventions.
Local tourism will improve the quality of life when people realize that they have an opportunity and they don’t have to wait for foreigners to arrive.
The resorts of Madang are good havens to relax and dine with fine cuisine in peace and quiet or to capture balmy evenings and the promise of a new day watching the sun come straight out of the water.
Watching how nature says goodbye on another day connects you to the earth and that life is a chain. Tourist places offer this experience.
In Wewak, Wom Beach is ideal for locals. Shark meat is popular in southern Kavieng where they have a shark appeal culture.
When I was on True North we went fishing around New
Hanover and caught an 11 foot shark.
They tried to put it back in the water, but I stopped them.
That night we were going ashore for the opening of a new classroom, so we took the shark with us; two Australians wearing it to an enthusiastic reception.
Always remember to blend in with the local customs and way of life.
Promote old village practices as a form of attraction.
Add days like environment days, world food day and children’s day to run throughout the year so that something is happening all the time to make village life interesting.
VACATION
Sad but average Papua New Guinea lost sight of the holidays. We need to bring back things they can remember; forests, rivers and streams, fishing, songs and dances.
It could be a niche opportunity for someone.
But we need to make land available so that city dwellers can benefit from interesting ideas.
When you want to involve local landowners, look in that direction.
The theme is local tourism. And make these city councils work to become agents of change.
plane tickets; Whoops! Since the Superfunds are real Papua New Guinea, can they come up with any ideas to help the nationals before they forget the word vacation?
A relaxing vacation is good for business and good for health! And why don’t we create events from January to December? They do it in Brunei, Darussalam.
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