The Government has indicated strong support for Paga Hill Developments Construction of a major Tourism city on the outskirts of Port Moresby City.
Minister for Tourism Art and Culture, Tobias Kulang, and Minister for Trade Commerce and Industry, Richard Maru were among signatories to a Memorandum of Understanding with the development firm today to cement their partnership.
The MOU which was signed by the two Ministers, Tourism promotion Authority CEO, Jerry Agus, and Paga Hill Development CEO, Gudmundur Fridriksson, and Director, Stanley Liria is meant to boost the Tourism city’s construction.
The Government has agreed to provide support in terms of necessary incentives to speed up the process.
The construction of Paga Hill’s “Tourism City” will take 7 to 10 years; a maximum of 15 years if were being realistic.
The primary focus of construction however will be the APEC House which will be situated on the fringe of the entire Tourism City.
The Paga Hill Development-Government Public-Private Partnership will also be a milestone for the country. This is because of the magnitude of the project itself, and what it will bring for our country, as a whole.
It is slated to attract about a million tourists per year; compared to our annual average of 200 to 250 visitors.
The lure for visitors is precisely why the government has shown keen interest in the project’s development.
While the site is far from attractive in its present state, its future under Paga Hill Development is quite ambitious.
The Paga Hill Estate, as it has been coined, will be built to meet universally compatible standards while most importantly marketing PNG’s rich culture and history; in its design, and a range of tourism packages.
One of its iconic features is the cable car travelling from the water front promenade to the heights of Paga Hill.
Tourists will be able to access war relics, and a breath taking view of Port Moresby’s coastline.
Under today’s MOU, the Government is currently working to establish a Special Economic Zone or SEZ framework. It will be for the Paga Hill Estate, and branding the site as a tourism gateway to PNG, as a whole.
The process is being supported by Maru, who has been a strong advocate for the development.
The SEZ will require all relevant state departments to work with the Paga Hill Development to avoid unnecessary delays to the construction prior to the APEC summit 2018.
The state has also agreed to provide PHDC with necessary relief such as import duty and tax duty concessions.
