National Geographic Travel Magazine has listed PNG as one of the best travel destinations for 2017.
As one of 21 places listed as a must-see for the new year, PNG’s rich cultural diversity is the main attraction being promoted to the adventurous tourists.
The list was published in the magazine’s latest edition which came out late last month.
The 21 must-visit places for 2017 come under three categories: Nature, Cities and Culture.
PNG comes under the culture category along with the exotic Malta.
While the other places under this travel list offer modern cities and modern infrastructure to access even the nature destinations, PNG is still being promoted as one of the last frontiers. It is described as a “rugged garden of Eden”, a place where there is not even a “path” to speak of and where all applications on smartphones do not work.
The pull for tourists to visit PNG would be to go where very few have dared to go and experience cultures that few have experienced.
Tourists may be shocked to see that people don’t actually live in their traditional ‘bilas’ (attire) and that the internet has reached PNG shores. They will undoubtedly find, like the recent football visitors found, an emerging modern country with very strong cultural ties.
National Geographic Travel Magazine is the travel edition of the national geographic and is considered one of the most trusted travel guides in the world.
While the impact of this level of tourism promotion remains to be seen, the immediate impact is making PNG visible on the tourism landscape especially the Goroka Show and the airline service providers.
Tourism Promotion Authority CEO Jerry Agus says the challenge now is to ensure we continue to offer authentic PNG culture for tourists.
