Workshop Promotes Harnessing of Domestic Tourism Data

A Domestic Tourism Data Methodologies and Stakeholder Consultation workshop was conducted in Port Moresby on the 1st and 2nd of June 2023, by The Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) and the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA).

The workshop and consultations emphasized how domestic tourism can strengthen Papua New Guinea’s overall tourism sector, and how domestic travel data capture is crucial to developing informed tourism policies and measuring sector performance.

Facilitators of the workshop and consultation meeting were representatives of the Pacific PSDI: Professor John Cheer of the Western Sydney University in Australia, and Associate Professor Anne Hardy.  Both have a wealth of experience as research professionals who have worked with tourism agencies across the Asia-Pacific region.

The PNGTPA was the host agency of the meetings facilitated by the Pacific PSDI, particularly officers of the Research and Statistics Unit under the Marketing Division.

“My team and I at the PNGTPA are seeking to develop a suitable and consistent methodology for measuring domestic tourism in PNG. This workshop is an important step for us in fostering insight on how to source, gather and visualize data for developing domestic tourism policies and marketing initiatives.  I wish to thank The Pacific PSDI, as well as Professor John Cheer and Professor Anne Hardy for their time and support,” said Noah Mikmik, Research and Statistics Coordinator of the PNGTPA.

There were 30 participants at the workshop and consultations meeting – representing various tourism stakeholders in the country, including the National Statistics Office (NSO), National Research Institute (NRI), PNG Air, NCDC Tourism, the PNG Tourism Industry Association and more.

The PNGTPA’s Visitor Arrivals Report for Papua New Guinea has been a key source of data feeding into regional and international travel data reports for almost two-decades.  The PNGTPA’s collection of Incoming Passenger Arrival Cards from the Citizenship and Immigration Authority office at the Jackson’s International Airport has been a crucial component in collating visitor arrivals data for the country.

Since the global pandemic, the PNGTPA’s marketing activities has modified its focus from the international market towards the domestic tourism market.  The biggest challenge in this area is data collection, however the PNGTPA are committed to managing.