TPA Partners with Acclaimed Wildlife Photographer

The Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) officially signed a contract with Dustin Chen, a UK-based wildlife photographer, on Tuesday 11th March at the TPA office in Port Moresby to position the country as a premier global birding destination. 

Renowned for his stunning photos of Papua New Guinea’s diverse avian life, TPA will engage Chen as a consultant for the development of Papua New Guinea’s National Birding Trail. 

The agreement is set to run from April 18th, 2025, to April 18th, 2026, with TPA providing logistical support and funding. 

Under the agreement, Chen will lead the identification and mapping of key bird-watching hotspots, conduct capacity-building programs for local birding guides, and contribute to the creation of high-quality visual content to enhance TPA’s marketing of this unique niche market to the world. 

Chen has been instrumental in bringing international attention to Papua New Guinea’s extraordinary birdlife. His award-winning photograph, “Dance of the Flame Bird,” received high commendation in the ‘Behaviour: Birds’ category of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 2022. 

Capturing a male flame bowerbird in a captivating courtship display.
Through his extensive work, Chen has travelled to PNG many times to document the country’s birds, from the dense rainforests of Kiunga to other remote birding locations teeming with rare and endemic species.  His expertise in the field will be crucial in shaping Papua New Guinea’s first structured National Birding Trail, aimed at attracting international birdwatchers and conservationists. 

Chen highlighted the importance of the partnership with TPA.
“Based on my experience traveling across South America, Asia, and Africa, I am confident that PNG has the potential to become a leading destination for birding tourism.◼️