Raun Raun Theatre to be Rehabilitated

The Tourism Promotion Authority through the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture will renovate the historical Raun Raun Theatre in Goroka, Eastern Highlands with a K100,000 funding.

Minister for Tourism Arts and Culture Hon. Emil Tammur MP said work will begin immediately to get the iconic traditional structure ready for the Goroka Show in September this year.

Minister Tammur said the funding support from Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) was timely as the facility will host several performances for tourists during the Goroka Show weekend.

“My Ministry is grateful for TPA recognising the importance of rehabilitating the Raun Raun Theatre and for capturing this funding in their 2019 budget because it is an iconic structure and a tourism attraction on its own,” said the Minister.

The Minister said sadly many such valuable structures around the country which are part of PNG’s historical and cultural heritage have been neglected over the years due to lack of funding.

Minister Tammur said under the Marape/Steven Government, culture and tourism, will be a key focus for development not only for economic empowerment but to also instill pride in our cultural heritage for our people,  particularly the younger generation.

He said TPA has also funded other major tourism products and infrastructure in Eastern Highlands including the Asaro Mudaman Amphitheatre (performance stage and amenities for tourists including toilets) in Mando in the Daulo Electorate and the Kemase Tourism Site in Lufa.

TPA Chief Executive Officer Mr Jerry Agus said this was part of the Authority’s overall product development program to revive tourism in Goroka and Eastern Highlands.

Mr Agus said similar projects are also being undertaken in the other provinces as well under the TPA’s overall product development scheme.

Minister Tammur said once the Raun Raun theatre has been rehabilitated it is hoped that the structure will be used by schools for educational programs and visits by tourists after the Goroka Show.

(L-R) Minister Hon. Tammur Tammur MP, Raun Raun Theatre Director Mr John Dua, TPA CEO Mr Jerry Agus, and National Cultural Commission acting executive director Mr Steven Kilanda with the dummy K100,000 cheque. 

For further information, email the TPA Provincial Coordination and Product Development Division: ppd@papuanewguinea.travel  

For media enquiries email Mr. Colin Taimbari: colin.taimbari@papuanewguinea.travel  

The Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Office coordinated a workshop on Agritourism, with the view to promote linkages in the Agri-food and Agritourism sectors in Port Moresby on May 27-28.

Tourism is a sector that has potential to strengthen the agriculture sector through agritourism and increasing demand for consistent access to quality local produce by tourism operators.

Participants included farmers, tourism operators- accommodation and restaurant, academic institutions including APTC and University of PNG, Chamber of Commerce, and Government agencies such as Tourism, Agriculture and Trade. The workshop was an opportunity for agriculture, tourism and trade sectors to discuss priorities, challenges and opportunities for a National Agritourism Policy. Work on the Policy will be led by the Tourism Promotion Authority working with local stakeholders and supported by  CTA, PIPSO, SPC, SPTO and HACCP Australia. 

We Need to All Promote our Country

Tourism Promotion Authority chief executive officer Jerry Agus wants the Papua New Guinea media to tell the best stories about our beautiful country to the world.
He said this when hosting a media get-together in Port Moresby, Friday 31st May 2019.

Veteran journalist Frank Kolma said the onus was upon every journalist “to stand for our country and to promote our country”.

“Tourism is an industry that is completely different from other industries within the country,” Agus said.

“The success of the industry in the country does not depend on how good the CEO is, how good the management is, or how good the tourism industry is.
“Tourism is an industry that cuts across different sectors.
“Tourism depends on good roads and bridges out there, good airports and airstrips out there, jetties and wharves we have, flight connectivity, taxi drivers, waiters and waitresses working in every hotel, customer services provided by flight attendants on aircraft.
“If you look at it, the tourism experience depends on the whole range of people.
“If one person doesn’t do his part, then the entire experience is spoiled.”
Agus said that was why the TPA tried to engage with all key stakeholders to embrace the importance of tourism.
“If everyone can work together, then we can see that tourism in the country grows,” he said.

“If everyone thinks that tourism growth depends entirely on Tourism Promotion Authority, it will never work.
“In order to deliver on our mandate to market and promote tourism, as a desired tourism destination overseas, we try our best to engage with so many people.”
Agus said this was where the media came in.
“As we all know, media plays a very important part in terms of influencing a lot of decisions out there,” he said.

“Media can spoil people, even colour a criminal as a good person, it can influence lot of things.
“Tourism is very important, but because of selling papers or attracting more viewers, you forget the tourism part of it.
“This country called Papua New Guinea is a country that you and I belong to.
“We will never be Australians, we will never be New Zealanders, we will never be Americans, no matter how hard we try.
“Papua New Guinea is our country, so we have got to have that at the back of our minds.

“Negative stories like rape, murder, tribal fighting attract people to the media.
“We must not forget that now, in this digital world we are living in, the news that you put up will go viral and lot of people overseas will read your stories.
“If we get a lot of negative stories out, it will affect the image of this country.
“At the moment, one of the impediments to tourists coming to Papua New Guinea is the negative image perception.
“Some people think that upon arrival at Jackson (International Airport), you will be killed.
“That’s the perception out there.”

Agus urged the media to “improve the image of this country”.
“Papua New Guinea is not ‘very dangerous’,” he said.
“There are a lot of dangerous countries out there where tourists go and visit.
“We don’t have terrorists, we don’t have car bombings, but people think that this country is ‘very dangerous’.
“It’s not.
“Whatever you report, remember that what you report may have negative implications.
“This is our country, we were born here and we will die here, so we all have to work together to promote our country.”

Agus urged reporters that when traveling, especially to a province out of Port Moresby, “you should write about the beauty of that particular province”.
“You could stay in a very good guest house, or you might go to an island with white, sandy beaches,” he said.
“You could write about that.”

Kolma said: “We all have a duty to stand for our country first and to defend it, in every profession that we have.
“We need to all promote our country, in whatever way we can.”

Writer: Malum Nalu   

For further information, email PNGTPA media coordinator Mr. Colin Taimbari: colin.taimbari@papuanewguinea.travel