Pari Village Archives | Papua New Guinea

More than 70 Port Moresby youths were inspired by the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority’s (TPA) tourism Awareness Session on Wednesday, 9 July, under the NCDC Urban Youth Employment Project II (UYEP) at Pari Village, Port Moresby.

The session was the first of a series of targeted trainings aimed at exposing unemployed and out-of-school youth to the tourism and hospitality sector in PNG.

This collaborative initiative, by TPA and NCDC UYEP, will extend to other training locations, including Saivara Community and PNG Defence Force Barracks, and will cover key focus areas such as Basic Tourism Awareness, Customer Service Skills, and Tour Guiding Techniques.

UYEP’s Internship Training Coordinator, Bruce Imata, expressed the importance of TPA’s involvement in the project.

“Training like this is transformational. It introduces our youth to a whole new world of possibilities in the tourism industry. Many of them have never thought about a career in tour guiding. TPA’s presence here shows that tourism isn’t just for international travellers, it’s a local opportunity, and it can change lives and provide alternative economic opportunities,” said Imata.

The session not only educated participants on the fundamentals of tourism but also included interactive discussions and real-life insights into hospitality, service delivery, destination promotion, and cultural heritage.

One of the youth participants, Terence Apa, from Goroka, said the experience has inspired him to return home and contribute to his community.

“I see now how powerful tourism can be. Back in Goroka, we have beautiful mountains, culture, and coffee farms. This training has given me the vision to go back and build a small guesthouse, maybe even run cultural tours. I want other young people in my village to dream big too,” said Apa.

The NCDC Urban Youth Employment Project II is a World Bank-supported initiative designed to address PNG’s growing youth unemployment and crime crisis. Its objective is to equip out-of-school and unemployed youth aged 16–29 with skills, job exposure, and income-generating opportunities.

In PNG, one in four youth (approximately two million) are classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).

Less than 16% of boys and 12% of girls complete secondary school, and youth are responsible for 80% of crimes committed in the country. In addition, 71% of the prison population is under the age of 25.

According to the United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA), 60% of PNGs current population is under the age of 25. These collaborative efforts provide opportunities for exposure for our youths who are not engaged to think outside of the box and venture into sectors such as tourism.

TPA CEO, Eric Mossman Uvovo, commended the youth for their participation and acknowledged the collaborative partnership for enhancing tourism awareness in Port Moresby.

“This initiative is a step into a doorway for our youth to participate in the formal economy. I thank the Policy & Strategic Planning Division for spearheading this engagement and for seeing tourism not just as an economic driver, but a youth empowerment tool to inspire and build potential tourism ambassadors that will become change agents for PNG in this industry,” said Uvovo.

Share our story:

Proposal Submitted!

Form Completed!