Development of Tourism Industry in Papua New Guinea Facing Covid-19 Pandemic

Jeffery Kunjil

doi:10.59890/ijatss.v3i8.80

Authors

Jeffery Kunjil Wuhan University of Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59890/ijatss.v3i8.80

Keywords:

Challenges, International Marketing Strategy, Tourism Products, Tourism Development, Tourists

Abstract

This study investigates the development of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) tourism industry and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although PNG offers rich cultural heritage, biodiversity, and attractions such as festivals, diving, and hiking, the sector faces persistent challenges including poor marketing, high costs, weak infrastructure, and systemic corruption. The pandemic further reduced tourist arrivals, disrupted ICT systems, and exposed mismanagement of resources, intensifying these barriers. The research identifies three key constraints to growth: corruption, technological limitations, and ineffective marketing strategies. To address these, it recommends an integrated marketing approach that engages government, private stakeholders, and development partners to promote innovative, technology-driven solutions. Using qualitative and secondary data, supported by SWOT and PESTEL analyses, the study provides a roadmap for policymakers and investors to strengthen PNG’s tourism sector. It concludes that coordinated efforts are essential for positioning PNG as a competitive destination in the Pacific region

References

A CASE STUDY OF WOMEN TRADERS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. First published in March 2014.

Alan Fyall and Brian Garrod, (2004). Marketing A Collaborative Approach. In: Aspects of Tourism, 18 Channel View Publications | 2004 https://doi.org/10.21832/9781873150917.

Alastair M Morrison. Global Marketing of China Tourism. January 2012 Edition: 1Publisher: China Architecture & Building Press ISBN: 978-7-112-13870-8. Project: China Architectural & Building Press. The University of Greenwich.

Alastair M. Morrison, Xinran Y. Lehto. Collaboration Between CVB and Local Community in Destination Marketing: CVB Executives' Perspective. Journal of Hospitality & Leisure Marketing. Volume 17, 2008 - Issue 3-4. Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Anderson, E.W. and Sullivan, M.W. (1993): The Antecedents and Consequences of Customer Satisfaction for Firms. Marketing Science, 12, pp. 125-143.

Andreas M. Riege, Chad Perry. Andreas M. Riege, Chad Perry. (2010). National marketing strategies in international travel and tourism. European Journal of Marketing ISSN: 0309-0566. Article publication date: Reprints & Permissions of Tourism Research, 18.

Appiah-Adu, K.; Fyall, A. and Singh, S. (2000): Marketing Culture and Customers Retention in the Tourism Industry. The Service Industries Journal, 20 (2), pp. 95-11.

Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, Volume 18, 2013 - Issue 3. Published Online: 23 Jan 2012.

Bagozzi, R.P.; Gopinath, M. and Nyer, P. (1999): The Role of Emotions in Marketing. Journal Academy of Marketing Science, 27 (2), pp. 184-206.

Bhanugopan 2001; Kau 2014; Milne 1991; Rayel et al. 2014; Sali 2018). Developing Papua New Guinea’s Tourism Sector.

Birgit Pikkemaat; Mike Peters; Bernhard Fabian Bichier. Innovation research in tourism: Research streams and actions for the future. October 2019. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The article, Pages 184-196

Brian E. M. King, Colin Bransgrove & Paul Whitelaw. Profiling the Strategic Marketing Activities of Small Tourism Businesses. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Volume 7, 1998 - Issue 4. Published Online: 13 Oct 2008.

Bucharest, Romania; Marketing Strategies of Travel Agencies: A Quantitative Approach. Marketing Department, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010404 corina.bunghez@mk.ase.ro;

Buhalis & Michopoulou, 2011. Information-enabled tourism destination marketing: Addressing the accessibility market.

Butler, 1999; Lu, & Nepal, 2009; Pjerotic et al., 2017; Waligo et al, 2013.

Calantone R.J & Mazanec, J. (1991). Marketing Management and Tourism. Annals.

Cevat Tosun, (2005) Cross-Border Cooperation in Tourism Marketing Growth Strategies. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 18(1):5-23. 2005. George Washington University, USA.

Challenges Facing Tourism Markets in Latin America and the Caribbean Region in the New Millennium November 2001 Journal of Travel Research 40(2):183-192.

Chen & Yi-Wen Chen. Identifying Optimal Inbound Market Mixes of the US Tourism Industry Ming-Hsiang. International Journal of Tourism Sciences, Volume 12, 2012 - Issue 1. Published Online: 03 Jun 2015

Chyi-lyi (Kathleen) Liang Rong Guo & Qingbin Wang. Impact of Market-Oriented Policies on China's International Tourism and Regional Economic Development. Services Marketing Quarterly, Volume 26, 2004 - Issue 1. Published Online: 12 Oct 2008.

Cole, L. (1998). Readings in Marketing Information Analysis. Mcgraw Hill.

Cooper (2004:76); Historical Development of Tourism and Hospitality in the World Module 13: Factors Affecting Demand and Supply in Tourism.

Cowell, D., (1984). The Marketing of Services. London, Heinemann.

Cravens, D (2000). Strategic Marketing (6th ed). Mcgraw Hill, Rework.

Culliton 1948. McCarthy 1960; A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?

David L. Edgell Sr., Kurtis M. Ruf & Alpa Agarwal. (2008). Strategic Marketing Planning for the Tourism Industry. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Volume 8, 2000 - Issue 3. Published Online: 13 Oct 2008.

De Rojas and Camarero (2008). Visitors’ experience, mood, and satisfaction in a heritage context: Evidence from an interpretation center. De Rojas and Camarero, 2008.

Dibb, S, and Simian (2001). The Marketing Case book. Cases and Concepts (Thompson)

EMILY SCHMIDT, PEIXUN FANG. (2020). Agri-food trade trends in Papua New Guinea: Reflections on COVID-19 policies and dietary change.

Hall, 1997; Rajotte, 1978. Tourism contributes to increasing foreign currency earnings and reserves, provides employment opportunities, and may help preserve cultures and the natural environment.

Holloway & Humphreys, 2012. The tourism industry is a vital contributor to social and economic development in many nations of the world. http://b2b.wien.info/en/brand/strategy/ Tourism-Concept-Vienna-2015

Jenkins, 1991; WTO, 1994. The role of international tourism in generating economic benefits has long been recognized in many developing countries.

Jeou-Shyan Horng & Chen-Tsang (Simon) Tsai. (20110). Exploring Marketing Strategies for Culinary Tourism in Hong Kong and Singapore Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, Volume 17, 2012 - Issue 3. Published Online: 14 Oct 2011.

John Imbal (2010). Contemporary Challenges Facing the Development and Management of Culture Tourism in Papua New Guinea. Contemporary PNG Studies: Divine Word University Research Journal Volume 12 May 2010.

John Y. Can, Scott Chacon, Ian D. Keating, Nelo Hotsuma, Christian Gloor. Images used courtesy.

Jongpil Park & Ick-Keun Oh. A Case Study of Social Media Marketing by Travel Agency: The Salience of Social Media Marketing in the Tourism Industry. International Journal of Tourism Sciences, Volume 12, 2012 - Issue 1. Published Online: 03 Jun 2015.

Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Volume 17, 2004 - Issue 4. Published Online: 10 Oct 2008

Joyce Rayel Mrs. Evelyn Kua Prof. C.L.N. Pillai Mr. Ponnusamy Manohar School of Business Administration University of Papua New Guinea. TOURISM IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA: IT IS ECONOMIC. https://devpolicy.org › 2014-PNG-Update.

Keating, Byron W. and A. Kriz (2008). “Outbound Tourism from China: Literature Review and Research Agenda.” Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 15(2): 32-40

Kotler et al. (2003), Positioning – a literature review; Emerald Insight.

Koutoulas & Zoyganeli (2007). Destination Marketing Framework

Kuk Early Agricultural Site - UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Lisa M. Ruhanen, Char-Lee J. Mclennan & Brent D. Moyle. Strategic Issues in the Australian Tourism Industry: A 10-year Analysis of National Strategies and Plans.

Lucia Aiello, Via Ponte don Melillo, Via Ponte don Melillo. (2009.). Tourism International Marketing Strategies: The Role of Quality Brand in the Valorisations Process. Department of Business Administration, University of Salerno, 84084, Italy Claudia Cacia, Department of Business Administration, University of Salerno 84084, Italy. Published on August 23 -25, 2009.

Madrid, (2008). World Tourism Organization (2008) 2008 International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics. World Tourism Organization.

Michael J. Wolfe Sr. & John C. Crotts. (2015). Marketing Mix Modeling for the Tourism Industry: The Best Practices Approach International Journal of Tourism Sciences, Volume 11, 2011

Mihalic 2014; Rayel et al. 2014; SPTO 2018. Over the years, tourism has seen continued growth and increasing expansion to become one of the leading and fastest-growing economic sectors across the globe.

Mihalic 2014; Rayel et al. 2014; UNWTO 2016. Modern tourism is directly connected to developmental progress and includes the increasing number of new sites being developed as tourist destinations.

Milne 2005, tourism in Papua New Guinea: its economic contributions

Milne, S. (2005). The economic impact of tourism in South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) member countries: Final Report. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from http://www.nztri.org/Economic-Impact-Study-of-Tourism-in-the-Pacific-region.

Moldova (Stănciulescu, (2009). Use of the PESTEL Model in the Management of the Tourism Branch of the Republic of Moldova (Stănciulescu, 2009, p. 41).

Muhammad Arfin Bin Salima, Noor Aireen Binti Ibrahimb, Hanita Hassan, Malaysia Johor Bahru. Language for Tourism: A Review of Literature. The 8th International Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) Seminar - Aligning Theoretical Knowledge with Professional Practice, ABC University Technology, Malaysia. Published in 2012, Pg 136 – 143. Learning).

Nam, 2011; Regmi and Walter, 2016; Sati, 2018.) entry fee (Badola et al., 2018), visitor’s safety (Gstaettner, Kobryn, Rodger, Philips, Lee. Spatial distribution of a) visitor incidents by severity (33 incidents), in comparison to the location of b) designated recreational sites, and c) visitor facilities in Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area.

Nicolino Strizzi and Scott M. Meis (2001). The University of Guelph,

Nicolino Strizzi, Scott Meis, (1999). An Analysis of Developments in Tourism Markets in Latin America and Caribbean Region. Research Analyst, Research, Canadian Tourism Commission and, Director, Research, Canadian Tourism Commission.

Nina Mistilis & Roberto Daniel. Challenges for Competitive Strategy in Public and Private Sector Partnerships in Electronic National Tourist Destination Marketing Systems.

Oscar H. Pedraza Rendón, Rubén Molina Martínez, María S. Ramírez Flores. Marketing Strategies for Hotel Industry Internationalization in Morelia. *. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 2nd International Conference on Strategic Innovative Marketing.doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.043.Published in 2014.

Philemon Oyewole (2009). America and Caribbean (LAC)”. Strategies for the marketing of international tourism in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Innovative Marketing, 5(4). RELEASED ON Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Philemon Oyewole. (2009). Prospects for Latin America and Caribbean Region in the Global Market for International Tourism: A Projection to the Year 2020. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Volume 26, 2009.

Professor E. Jerome McCarthy simplified Borden’s concept and distilled it down to four simple categories, now referred to as ‘the 4 Ps of marketing. Project: Research and development of tourism labor demand and supply models and forecasts.

Rayel et al. 2014; Sumb 2017. Developing Papua New Guinea’s Tourism Sector.

Rayel, J.J. (2012). Local community involvement in trekking and residents‟ perceptions of implications of tourism and the proposed mining operations: A case of Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea. TEAM Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 9(1), 27-38.

Rong Wu, Mu Zhang. (2013). Research on the Tourism Effect and Marketing Strategy of Convention & Exposition Industry: A Case Study of Shenzhen City of China. January 2013, Journal of Service Science and Management 06(02):151-159. DOI:10.4236/jssm.2013.62015.

Root, F.R. (1994), Entry Strategies for International Markets, Lexington Books, Nueva York. Published in 1994 by Franklyn R.

Scheyvens 1999. It is acknowledged that mismanagement, especially during times of tourism growth can be detrimental to communities.

Scheyvens 2015; Telfer and Shapely 2016. Everett et al. 2018. World Bank 2017 and the Asians development Bank Cole 2006;

Schmidt, E., P. Dorosh, and R. Gilbert. 2020. The effects of COVID-19 related rice price shocks on household welfare in Papua New Guinea, IFPRI Discussion Paper (forthcoming). Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Sharpley, Telfer, 2008. The principles of sustainable development in tourism enterprises.

Spyros Langkos, CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW: Destination Marketing Framework. “Athens as an international tourism destination: An empirical investigation to the city’s imagery and the role of local DMO’s.” September 2014 DOI:10.13140/2.1.1122.5925 Publisher: University of Derby Authors: “Strategies for the marketing of international tourism in the region of Latin

Summerhayes et al.2010. Promoting Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Tourism. Tom Rosendahl. Journal of Promotion Management, Volume 15, 2009 - Issue 1-2 Tourism in Papua New Guinea; Its economic contributions for sustainable development studies. Tourist Attractions and their Marketing Communication: Off the Peg or Tailor-Made?

Truong, V.D. & Hall, C.M. (2013. Tourism policy development in Vietnam: A pro-poor perspective. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 5(1), 28-45. (Journal article based on Chapter Five). Social marketing and tourism: Date of Publication 2013.

UNDP. (2020). Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Covid-19 on Papua New Guinea, United Nations Development Programs in Papua New Guinea. Vienna's branding campaign - strategic option for developing Austria’s capital into a top tourism destination

Vincent Cho & Paul Leung. (2008). Towards Using Knowledge Discovery Techniques in Database Marketing for the Tourism Industry. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, Volume 3, 2002 - Issue 3-4. Published Online: 08 Sep 2008. Hot topics and emerging trends in tourism forecasting research: A scientometric review. Volume: 25 issue: 3, page(s): 448-468. November 4, 2018; Issue published: May 1, 2019. Ying Liu Changchun Pan, Department of Finance, The School of Economics, Jilin University, Gaoxin District, 130012 Changchun, China.

VTB (2009) Vienna Tourist Board. Tourism Concept 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2011, from: http://b2b.wien.info/en/brand/brand-manual.

VTB (2010a) Vienna Tourist Board. Brand Manual” Vienna: now or never”. Retrieved May 15, 2011, from: http://b2b.wien.info/en/brand/brand-manual.

Wasike et al. 2011. SWOT analysis and strategies to develop sustainable tourism in Bangladesh.

Wen –Jung Chang; Jerome M, Katrichis (1990–2013). A literature review of tourism management a content analysis perspective, Management, and Marketing school, Barney School of Business, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, USA.

Wen –Jung Chang; Jerome M, Katrichis (1990–2013). A literature review of tourism management a content analysis perspective, Management, and Marketing school, Barney School of Business.

Wilson, D.T., Y Moller, K.E.K. (1991), “Buyer-seller relationships: Alternative conceptualizations’”, en Paliwoda, Stanley J (Editor), New Perspectives on International Marketing, Routledge, Londres, pp. 87-107.

Xinshen Diao, Paul Dorosh, Peixun Fang, and Emily Schmidt. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 on Papua New Guinea’s Food Economy. A Multi-Market Simulation Analysis.

Yunxian Wang35. Copyright © 2014 The National Research Institute. Discussion Paper No. 141. Papua New Guinea Tourism Demand Assessment Part II. Case Studies for Niche Market Success, June 2018. © International Finance Corporation 2018.