Tourism in Papua New Guinea

Tourism in Papua New Guinea is an incipient industry, but there are attractions for the potential visitor that include culture, markets, festivals, diving, surfing, hiking, fishing and unique flora and fauna. Papua New Guinea receives an increasing number of visitors each year, with approximately
184,000 international arrivals in 2015.

History
In April of 1883, James Burns and Robert Philp began a commercial partnership, originally called "Burns Philp & Company Limited". [2] They were the first company to offer tourism to New Guinea, in 1884, announcing the 'Excursion Trip to New Guinea'. [3] This consisted of a five-week trip from the Island of Thursday and has been described as the "official start of tourist cruises in the South Pacific." [4] The company later published a book entitled Picturesque Voyage.

In 1914, the Department of Tourism of Burns Philp was established on advertising tours in Lord Howe and on the island of Norfolk. The acquisition of the Hotel Port Moresby happened the same year, and the Hotel Papua was bought some years later. Burns Philp "maintained a close monopoly on passenger services to Melanesia until the outbreak of the war in the Pacific." [5] In the war, the British government took over part of the Burns Philp fleet and the Macdui ship sank in Port Moresby in 1942 as their first trip as a troop carrier.

Attractions

Culture
Main article: Culture of Papua New Guinea.
The culture of Papua New Guinea is very diverse, as it implies the existence of more than 800 languages ​​in the country. The styles of cultural expression (size, dance, song, ornamentation, architecture and more) vary enormously throughout the country.

Festivals

Festival of Hiri Moale
Public festivals that are open to tourists include the Coffee Festival in Goroka - May, National Mask Festival in Rabaul-July, Monte Hagen Show - August, Goroka Show - September, Hiri Moale Festival in Port Moresby - September, Morobe show in Lae - October, Kundu and Canoe Festival in Alotau - November.

The markets
The markets are a great attraction for tourists. Along with local foods, handicrafts are often on display and can be purchased at reasonable prices. Some of the items on display are traditional carvings and beads, traditional and contemporary paintings on canvas and traditionally woven baskets and serving trays. The larger and more tourism-oriented markets are usually held once a month in the larger cities.

Diving
PNG is possibly one of the best diving destinations in the world, with one of the healthiest coral reef systems on the planet. In addition to a large number of reef sites, there are also numerous ships and aircraft wrecked from World War II, which offer a lot of diving opportunities in shipwrecks. Some of the best places to dive are in West New Britain / Kimbe Bay, Kavieng, Madang, Alotau, Tufi and East New Britain / Rabaul. The capital, Port Moresby, also offers excellent diving.

Many of the dive sites are easily accessible by boat for a day trip, and there are many more remote sites that you can dive from one of the many accommodations that are offered locally.

Surfing
You can surf all year round. The southern side of PNG includes places like Hula Beach (100 km from Port Moresby), Milne Bay, Bougainville and East New Britain, which can be reached from June to September. In the north of the PNG surf season is from mid-October to the end of April. There are excellent surf locations that include Madang, Wewak and Kavieng, with the best and most consistent waves found in Vanimo.

Mountain hiking
The most famous walking trail in Papua New Guinea is Kokoda Track, the site of a famous World War II battle between Australia and Japan. Another popular hike is to climb Mount Wilhelm, the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. There are many more walking tracks, including the Bulldog and Black Cat tracks.

Security
Many countries have issued travel warnings to their citizens wishing to visit Papua New Guinea, due to their high level of violent crime, the slow response times of the police and the poor record of human rights.

Foreign citizens in Papua New Guinea have become tempting targets for criminals, especially those who visit richer countries are more likely to become victims of violence and crime. Lonely foreign women are generally advised not to travel without an escort in Port Moresby and parts of the Highlands region due to the high risks of unwanted harassment and sexual assault. In general, countries of origin advise travelers to seek updated information on