Good News for Rugby Fans

Rugby League mad nation, Papua New Guinea will host some rugby league World Cup matches in Port Moresby in September of 2017. The country’s Minister for Sports and National Events Justin Tkatchenko told media that “We have signed the deal and we are confirmed to host some rugby league matches of the 2017 rugby league World Cup here in Port Moresby. We have done our part and I have been in talks with various people at the government level and also in touch with the International rugby league federation and I must assure you that we will host some games here at our world class stadiums in Port Moresby".

Port Moresby now has main stadiums comprising Sir John Guise stadium (Pacific Games Stadium) with capacity of 18 000 seats, National Stadium (formerly PRL) has capacity of 15 000 seats and Sir Hubert Murray Stadium has a capacity of 20 000.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill is optimistic to host the Rugby League World Cup in the country and some of the stadiums in Port Moresby will be extended to capacity of 50 000 seats or more.

"As you can see Papua New Guineans love the game and I hope that the NRL and the other custodians of our game can come up here and expose the game to people a bit more," O'Neill said. "We built it [the stadium] specifically for the [Pacific] Games but also to accommodate rugby league and other sports in the country.

"Hopefully the International Rugby League board will accept our offer," Mr O'Neill said. "Of course Australia and New Zealand are going to host it, but we are part of the Queensland Rugby League [competition] at present, we have developed our local competition and the schoolboys competition, so rugby league has a big future in this country.”

According to the rugby league world cup site, 14 countries will take part in this world event that will be jointly hosted by Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. 

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Experience Adventure and freedom in PNG

Limited places in the world exist where tourists can trek active volcanoes, snorkel past coral gardens and purple starfish, discover World War II tunnels, relax in a geothermal hot spring and break bread with local tribe’s people, all in one day. Accurate experiences like these look out in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

First of all, PNG is positioned some 8,600 miles and about four flights away from New York. The ExxonMobil project has the capability to double the size of PNG's economy, according to research released by the Human Rights Watch. Other factors contributing to PNG's growth, predominantly in the tourism sector, are the 2015 Pacific Games, which welcomed athletes from 24 Pacific nations in July, and the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. In preparation for these large-scale events, PNG's hospitality industry has skyrocketed from 600 room nights to 6,000 room nights within the past four years.
Additional hotels are in development, including the 433-room Raintree Hotel and a Hilton property, both to be built in the Waigani Precinct, one of six precincts in Port Moresby that are being developed precisely for the APEC Summit. The Waigani Convention Center is also set for completion by 2018.

The Tourism Promotion Authority is also placing more stress on cruising. Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises include PNG in their itineraries, and the authority hopes to attract more expedition cruises, with 150 passengers or less, which can dock in more remote areas. Milne Bay Province, which includes Alotau, Kiriwina, Kitava and Doini, is PNG's major cruise hub and will welcome 57 calls in 2016. The authority's focus in the next five to 10 years, said Vincent, will be turning Rabaul into a more accessible cruise destination.

Cruising has also been a solution to the high cost of airfare to get from the U.S. to PNG. Typically, U.S. travelers fly through Australia with Virgin Australia or Qantas, with roundtrip fares from Los Angeles running $2,500 per person in the high season. Beginning Oct. 25, however, Philippine Airlines will offer a more cost-effective solution with connections through Manila. The carrier's twice-weekly service from Manila to Port Moresby will start at $720 per person, round trip.

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Papua New Guinea at 40 Years

It passed silently in Australia but Papua New Guinea celebrated 40 years of independence from Australian colonial rule on September 16. Papua New Guinea was one of the last colonies in the world and gained independence under Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, who said: “By an extraordinary twist of history, Australia, herself once a colony, became one of the world’s last colonial powers. By this legislation, we not only divest ourselves of the last significant colony in the world but we divest ourselves of our own colonial heritage. In making our own former colony independent, we as Australians enhance our own independence. Australia was never truly free until Papua New Guinea became truly free.”

Few Australians seem to know, or recall, that Australia once controlled PNG and used a force of kiaps, a patrol officer in charge of a region whose role could embrace police officer, judge and from time to time jailer, to keep order across the isolated nation. That seventy years has been rapidly overlooked even though Australia’s history and sense of self is intimately bound up with the wartime heroism of the Kokoda Trail and the local Papua stretcher bearers who provided terrific assistance. In fact, there is even a replica Kokoda Trail in the hills outside Melbourne, popular with hikers and Japanese tourists. After that it might be Bougainville or Ok Tedi that Australians remember.

The recent Pacific Islands Forum held in Port Moresby, but partly for the hefty criticism Australia and New Zealand were subject to over climate change. Witch burnings, which we have covered also.

It seems there has often been a climate of friendship, but rarely of full understanding, as this excellent 1999 feature story by journalist Sean Dorney explains. Dorney, who had been in PNG since 1974, writes early in his piece, “I began my talk that night with a tragic tale to illustrate how we Australians and our neighbours often don’t understand each other very well and how easy it is for signals passing between us to be misinterpreted.” The rest is far too long to even give a useful précis, but one point he does make is that many senior political figures told him that, “their country suffers from too pure a form of democracy.”

Political stability and good governance have not inevitably been out of the country’s reach, but matters have been complicated by many factors, from the remoteness of so many communities to the tremendous diversity of languages – well over 800 – and “wantoks” or traditional owners of land who can wield money and power in some areas. Some experts also suggest the resources boom and the migration to bigger towns or cities has also been partly responsible for the upsurge of witch killings and their uncharacteristic sadism.

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New Microbiology Lab in Port Moresby

Eda Ranu opened its new microbiology laboratory in Port Moresby for the Environment and Quality control division recently. This was made possible through the twinning program in partnership with Sydney Water Corporation and ADB. The laboratory now supports two fully kitted mobile labs bought in 2013.

This was done in groundwork for Eda Ranu to get international accreditation from the National Association of Testing Australia to furnish quality water testing and purification services in harmony with Environmental and Health regulations. Independent Public Business Corporation Managing Director Garry Hersey said Eda Ranu is a significant service provider of water and sanitation solution which revenue are produced from these services rendered therefore it is significant there is clean provision of water for consumers.

To attain this Eda Ranu needs to build its basis in the short and long term through infrastructure development and improvements. He was thankful about the twinning progam which will be part of Eda Ranu’s highlights that will be presented during the 8th Water and Waste Conference and Expo in Port Moresby.

This partnership between ADB and Sydney Water Corporation is a learning point for Eda Ranu where they can draw from the experiences of Sydney Water Corporation. He said one of the critical areas to consider in the business is the protection of waterways and added that even the developed countries experience problems with water and there’s more to be done to protect waterways.

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Restoring Discipline and Good Ethics

In an open letter to mark the country's 40th Anniversary of Independence, Gary Baki says problems touching performance and morale are wide ranging, but he is working vigorously to reinstate discipline and good ethics. Mr. Baki says the country has a lot to be proud of as a nation of a thousand tribes with over 800 languages that has accomplished to unite as one people. Comparing Papua New Guinea to the Israelites he says the country has wandered through the wilderness for the last 40 years and is standing at a crossroads ready to travel to "the promised land".

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Press Release-Papua New Guinea Congratulates Queen Elizabeth II

The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Hon. Peter O’Neill CMG MP, has warmly congratulated Her Majesty The Queen on becoming the longest serving Monarch in the history of Great Britain. “Today Her Majesty will have served as Monarch for 63 years, 7 months and 2 days, overtaking the reign of Queen Victoria more than a century ago,” PM O’Neill said.

The Prime Minister said the people of Papua New Guinea appreciate the Queen’s many years of service to the people of the Commonwealth including Papua New Guinea. “The founders of our National Constitution decided that Her Majesty would be Queen of Papua New Guinea under our constitution. 

“When we celebrate the 40th anniversary of our achievement of statehood we will also celebrate 40 years of Her Majesty’s service as Queen of Papua New Guinea. “Her Majesty continues to take a genuine interest in our nation, our people, and our future.

“On the occasions when I have met with the Queen she has always demonstrated broad knowledge of Papua New Guinea. “Papua New Guinea also has an ongoing relationship with other members of The Royal Family.  “We were very happy to receive Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, when he visited Papua New Guinea to officially open the Pacific Games just over a month ago.

“The Queen’s record of service has been truly extraordinary. “It has been marked by a total dedication and commitment to what she outlined as her duty when she assumed the throne over 63 years ago. “The people of Papua New Guinea acknowledge this historic occasion, and extend to the Queen, and His Royal Highness Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, our best wishes for happiness and continued good health,” Prime Minister O’Neill said.

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PNG to Export Agriculture Products to Asia

Papua New Guinea’s supply chain capacity is enhancing for agriculture products as the Government looks at the Asian markets much more professionally. Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill publicized at the PNG Advantage Investment Summit that this will be boosted by the declaration that there will be a new Port Moresby airport terminal to be constructed by 2018.

Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill also said that this will also embrace an elevation of current port facilities, sea ports in Lae and Port Moresby which will continue to upsurge PNG’s air cargo capacity to Asian destinations. He said the Government is implementing a 12-point plan to "grow" the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector and participation in the formal economy. "Clearly one of the greatest challenges facing the Asian region is food security," Mr O’Neill said. "But to do so we need to re-align what we grow and produce to meet regional requirements and to meet the demands of the middle class in Asia," he added.

"We need to be able to get our produce to the markets of the Asian region efficiently.” "Papua New Guinea’s supply chain capacity is increasing for the carriage of produce. This includes an upgrade of current port facilities, sea ports in Lae and Port Moresby and a new Port Moresby airport terminal to be constructed by 2018. This will continue to increase our air cargo capacity to Asian destinations. "There has been neglect in some of our key agricultural industries and we have work to do with our Government agencies in order to restore this capacity. We are restoring our production and export coffee, cocoa and copra. "Our government is building the infrastructure such as roads through our country that are needed to get these products to market."

Prime Minister Hon. Peter O’Neill said that at a national level, the Government is also working hard to cultivate SME sectors to contribute in the formal economy. "Broad-based growth of the SME sector is one of the most effective ways to ensure we can provide opportunity for our young people today and tomorrow”. "Our government is implementing a twelve-point plan to "grow" the SME sector. This is focused on affordable finance, making sure that we have business training and supporting the growth of key sectors," he said. "There are significant opportunities for Australian businesses and entrepreneurs to partner with and mentor our own small business sector," he said.

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Immersive Events, Engagement and an Appetite for Change Set the Tone for this Year’s ibtm knowledge programme

This year’s ibtm knowledge programme, delivered at ibtm world, promises to motivate global industry players with a series of sessions that have been lined up to challenge existing thought models and raise the bar when it comes to organising events across the globe (www.ibtmworld.com/knowledge).

Commenting on the changing needs of industry education, Dr. Rob Davidson, Managing Director, MICE Knowledge and ibtm events industry analyst said, “In the past 12 months, there has been a huge move towards designing meetings to be much more multisensory and immersive than before. The science behind this trend tells us that the more participants’ senses are stimulated, the more memorable the meeting experience will be for them, because more parts of their brains are activated, which in turn helps them to absorb and retain information more effectively."

Organised by Reed Travel Exhibitions, the programme will feature keynote sessions from industry thought leaders and will address these evolving educational demands through sessions including:  What Can We Learn From Immersive Events? - In this session, Deborah Armstrong, Managing Director of Strong & Co will discuss what exactly ‘Immersive Events’ mean in practice and why they are so important. Deborah will share key learnings around achieving meaningful and longer lasting engagement. Through careful analysis of good and bad practice this talk aims to show you how to do it right and what the future of Experiential holds.

Engagement at Events – in partnership with ISES - Engagement has long been a go-to phrase for event professionals but like many areas of our industry, there’s little consensus on what it really means. This session, delivered by Kevin Jackson, Vice President EMEA, George P. Johnson and President of ISES UK will unpack what engagement at events is and more importantly how you get audiences leaning forward instead of leaning back.

Appetite For Change – Presented by Ivo Franschitz, Owner & Managing Director, ENITED Business Events and Vanessa Schmoranzer, Brand Leadership Consultant and Change Management Coach, ma®kenkind.de, this session will address the shifting needs of professional business events and review them from the perspective of the host and of the participant.

Franschitz comments, “As a SME (small and medium-sized enterprise), we dared taking that risk and initiated a 14 month journey. Engaging professional, external expertise and committing ourselves to a roller coaster ride called change management. Throughout, we gained invaluable insights and experiences, many of them very up-close and personal. In this workshop, we want to share those experiences and convey to you a clear message: “Change = Opportunity”. We want to stimulate your appetite for change.”

Erica Keogan, Associations and Education Manager, ibtm events comments, “This year promises a very impressive line up of education sessions and we haven’t just stopped there. We have redesigned our entire Knowledge experience, creating the ACS Knowledge Village at the heart of the show floor where attendees can come together and really live the entire experience.”  To find out more about the Hosted Buyer Programme, watch the Hosted Buyer Journey video or apply for your place visit www.ibtmworld.com/Hosted 

To find out more about the benefits of attending ibtm world and to register as a trade visitor, please visit: www.ibtmworld.com/visit2015

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PNG Business Summit: A Hit

Investors, businesses houses and hundreds of interested individuals from PNG and Australia have turned out for the PNG Advantage Investors summit in Brisbane Australia. About 400 joined for the summit surpassing last year’s 300 attendees. The two day summit was devoted to the promotion of business and investment in PNG.

This is the fifth Papua New Guinea Advantage summit and the first to be held in Australia. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill opened the summit with his opening address and positively guaranteed investors and business houses that the outlook of the country looks very good. "We are in the period of growth and economic expansion that has never been seen in Papua New Guinea before.

"At the same time our GDP is growing our other areas such as Government revenue have been impacted by other global factors beyond our control. “The down turn of commodity prices has affected PNG and of course our 2015 budget just like any countries around the World.” Organizing committee chairman David Conn said Day one - the investment summit focused not only on what was planned by the major players in LNG but on how PNG’s economy and businesses were restructuring to tackle future growth.

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Hilton Hotel will augment the exquisiteness of PNG

Papua New Guinea will have one of the best world's famous hotels. The Mineral Resource Development Company is proud to bring to Port Moresby, the first ever Hilton Hotel. The Management agreement signed recently between MRDC and Hilton World Wide will see the construction of a 5 star 212 premium room hotels in Port Moresby.

The Hilton hotel is part of MRDC group subsidiaries latest development project, the STAR Mountain Plaza. Under the agreement, Hilton will manage the Hotel and a convention centre within the Star Mountain Plaza.

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Food Ban will Boost Local Production in PNG

According to the head of one of PNG's biggest commercial farming operations, the government's ban on imported fruit and vegetables will ultimately assist small scale farmers. The Agriculture Minister Tommy Tomscoll says the purpose of the recently announced ban is to boost local production.Some people have slated the act as ill-considered and say there isn't sufficient locally grown produce to supply markets like Port Moresby. But Laurence Thomason, the General Manager of Sogeri Primary Produce says though there'll be some early pain, the ban will benefit local growers who are presently offered no incentives to grow commercial crops.

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