Over the past 24 months, Papua New Guinea has witnessed firsthand some of the country’s greatest sporting achievements; from the 2015 Pacific Games, to the recent staging of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
On FM100’s talkback show this morning, PNG Sports Foundation Executive Director, Peter Tsiamalili Jnr spoke of the country’s progress in the last 2 years, and the potential to harvest further into an industry.
“The Tourism Minister alluded to the fact that the FIFA World Cup would be an activity that would set the platform for us to start appreciating that sports can bring about the objective of tourism in the country,” said Tsiamalili Jnr.
The two most recent sporting events have injected a fair bit into the economy, benefitting small to medium enterprises across the board, in almost every sector.
“On a scale of 1-10, (the FIFA World Cup) sits on a six, having that impact on the economy because of the fact that whilst we look at the monetary value that has been put into this, you also got to look at the long term impact this will have on the economy, in terms of tourism,” he added.
As the nation now boasts world class facilities, 2017 is anticipated to be an even bigger year. It will see the nation’s biggest domestic event, the 7th edition of the PNG Games in March; and later, the staging of the Rugby League World Cup in October.
