NOVEMBER 11 2021
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has assured Papua New Guinea’s tourism industry of his Government’s full support, including in the 2022 Budget.
He gave this assurance in Port Moresby on Wednesday night (Nov 10 2021) when launching the PNG Tourism Sector Development Plan 2022-2026 of the Tourism Promotion Authority.
Present with PM Marape were Tourism Arts and Culture Minister Hon. Isi Henry Leonard, TPA Chairman Hon. Kennedy Wenge and TPA Chief Executive Officer Eric Uvovo.
The Prime Minister said his Government would be very much focused on renewable resources like tourism, agriculture, sustainable forestry, sustainable fisheries and downstream processing.
“The next 10 years will be see huge activity in various interventions we will do for our country,” he said.
“What we are projecting in the next 10 years is a K200 billion economy.”
PM Marape said Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey would announce in the 2022 Budget that the PNG economy would go past the K100 billion mark next year.
“We are working with Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Bank in restructuring our economy, refocusing our economy, putting our economy in the right place,” he said.
“We are doing things in tough times, and tough times allow us to look at our priorities and lesser priorities.
“I am here tonight to tell you that tourism, just like agriculture, can be engaged in by every person in the villages.”
PM Marape encouraged everyone in the country to take ownership of tourism.
“Our citizens can contribute in a big way to tourism,” he said.
“Generally, in our country, you find very caring and friendly people.
“Tourists who come here go back with fond memories of our country.”
PM Marape said his Government was targeting everyone in the country, including youths, to be part of the economy through such activities as tourism.
“That is why we have made this deliberate intervention to put money in banks, so that you can do a start-up somewhere,” he said.
PM Marape said by 2031, he would like to see 10 to 20 per cent of the economy being tourism-based “with spin-offs to many, many people of our country”.
“I look forward to be part of this journey from 2022 to 2026,” he said.
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