To celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence in Papua New Guinea, for the month of September Australian Policy and History is publishing policy briefs written by students studying at Honours, Masters or Doctoral levels who attended a June 2025 intensive workshop on Papua New Guinea and Australia, sponsored by DFAT and run by Deakin’s Centre for Contemporary Histories, at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

ATTENTION 

Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon Don Farrell [AUS] 

Minister for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Belden Namah [PNG] 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

In Papua New Guinea, the tourism industry and its associated infrastructure, jobs, and logistics, are underdeveloped. The introduction of a National Rugby League (NRL) team based in Port Moresby in 2028 is a major opportunity for Papua New Guinea’s tourism industry and it is essential that the touted influx is considered, accommodated, and received well. Nascent and emerging sport competitions have been used to great success to herald rapid growth in national tourism industries in places such as ​​​​​​Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This policy brief argues that it is integral that the new NRL team in Papua New Guinea be attached to comprehensive ​​‘destination branding’ that is visibly promoted in a variety of media​ across NRL markets in Australia, New Zealand, and PNG​. It is imperative that the relevant Australian and Papua New Guinean ministries cooperate on a branding strategy to maximise the strategic and economic benefit of increased tourism to Papua New Guinea. 

 

THE PROBLEM 

Currently, the Papua New Guinean tourism industry branding is proportionate with its scope: only 132,725 visitors arrived in the country in 2024, with only 38% of these arrivals being for the purpose of holiday (and 1% for the purpose of sport) (Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority 2025). Having an NRL team based in Port Moresby from 2028 will turn these statistics on their head. Papua New Guinea must accommodate these arrivals and incentivise broader travel and expenditure across the country. 

​​At the moment, there is no ‘slogan’ that is succinct and recognisable to be found for Papua New Guinea’s current tourism marketing. The aim of Papua New Guinea’s tourism industry should no longer be to just welcome, but to keep visitors.​​​​ In 2024, 53% of visitors saw the National Capital District, but the same statistics show that they scarcely left Port Moresby: the next most-visited province was Morobe, at 8% (Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority 2025).​ The rugby league team is likely to shift the mode of travel to PNG from cruise-ship holiday majority to air-travel, which may centre arrivals from Australia and New Zealand exclusively in Port Moresby.​​     ​​     ​​ 

Visitors are not encouraged to explore the rest of the country, and this must be addressed in ‘destination branding’ on what is to be the most accessible platform for Australians, who are currently by far the largest market for the country’s tourism: the branding must be highly visible in every broadcast of an NRL game.  

 

POLICY ISSUES & ALTERNATIVES 

There are several considerations associated with potential Papua New Guinean ‘destination branding’ in the NRL: 

Accurate, yet enticing marketing 

The marketing should promote the ‘untouched’ nature and uncrowded elements of PNG, as well as the sense of adventure one must possess to tour the country: marketing should dare the traveller. Such marketing could perhaps touch on the sensibilities of visiting sports fans in the spirit of overcoming adversity, discovery, and gaining unforgettable experiences with friends and/or family.  

Funding a comprehensive marketing campaign 

Currently, Papua New Guinea’s budget for its tourism branding is quite low. The 2022 Tourism Sector Development plan established a national tourism budget of 70 million kina by 2026 (Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority 2022), but this was perhaps a hopeful estimate given the reduction in allocation to the economic sector in Papua New Guinea’s 2025 treasury budget (Ling-Stuckey 2025). In comparison, Fiji’s national budget prescribes approximately three times the tourist budget that PNG does (Prasad 2025).​ ​​Funding the tourist sector is critical to establishing a positive tourist sector amongst visitors.​ 

Accessibility to the rest of Papua New Guinea 

Papua New Guinea has thrilling cultural experiences, beautiful beaches and islands, and fabulous, adventurous hikes on offer to tourists. Regrettably, much of this appears inaccessible to the lay traveller. Flights from Australia exclusively touch down in Port Moresby, and access to the rest of the country is limited to air travel​.​ To promote widespread travel outside of Port Moresby, bundled flight and cruise deals can be offered. 

Safety of travellers 

While an adventurous holiday is desirable, there remain concerns amongst potential visitors about the safety of travellers, in particular women. It is integral that the ​​Australian government works strategically with the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary to ensure that the safety of travelling individuals to Papua New Guinea are met. 

 

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 

It is recommended that Papua New Guinea’s tourism ministry, in cooperation with Australia, adopts a ‘destination branding’ along the lines of: 

​​Explore ​PNG: The Last Great Adventure 

This should be accompanied by symbols and motifs such as the country’s famous sunsets, beaches and islands, its unique outdoor adventures, a welcoming people, and its beautiful wildlife. 

This hearkens to the common, fond phrasing from Papua New Guineans and visitors alike, that the country is the ‘land of the unexpected’, also used in marketing in the ​​past. This paper establishes that an updated slogan can reignite interest in visiting Papua New Guinea more broadly and de-implicate its tourist sector from the word ‘unexpected’; while this word signals adventure, it also is not an ideal word that prospective tourists might like to hear. It is important to de-stigmatise travel to Papua New Guinea, or, at least, to market an unusual destination in a favourable, yet accurate manner. Consequently, branding must sell to the prospective tourist a valuable experience. Papua New Guinean destination branding should accentuate its existing positive traits — unspoilt, naturally beautiful, wild, and adventurous — to enhance positive associations with the destination in the mind of the tourist and thus convince them to travel further within the country (Chalip and Costa 2006, p. 223). A coherent destination branding can thus conjure a favourable image of Papua New Guinean tourism. 

​​​It is notable that in countries — such as those on the Arabian peninsula seeking to diversify their economies away from hydrocarbons — sport has served as an integration tool for these countries into ​​regional sporting and economic arenas (Taylor et al. 2023, p. 370). Geopolitical competition amongst these states has promoted investment in sport as soft power, and tourism advertising re- imagined the destination as desirable, dynamic, and relevant. ‘Visit Saudi’ and ‘Fly Emirates to Dubai’ have ​successfully attracted tourists in places that were outside of the tourist’s consciousness. Papua ​New Guinea should ​​approach its upcoming NRL license as an opportunity to drive further development through tourist income. 

This branding must continue from 2028 and be everpresent at the Papua New Guinea team’s matches: from the sideline hoardings, to front-of-shirt sponsorship, to the matchday programs at the gates. The Australian government should redirect some aid contributions t​hat raise awareness of this branding amidst likely markets, particularly rugby league fans. This ​‘co-branding’ process should activate an association with the sports fan attending a game in Port Moresby with the broader merits of travel to Papua New Guinea (Chalip and Costa 2006, p. 224). 

 

CONTACT: Rupert Azzopardi 

Student – Masters of International Relations, The University of Melbourne 

Email: razzopardi@student.unimelb.edu.au 

 

SOURCES CONSULTED 

Chalip L and Costa CA (2006) ‘Sport Event Tourism and the Destination Brand: Towards a General Theory’, Sport in Society, 8(2): pp. 218-237, https://doi.org/10.1080/17430430500108579 

Ling-Stuckey, I (Minister for Treasury) (2025) Economic and Development Policies: “Securing Papua New Guinea in 2025 and Beyond”, Independent State of Papua New Guinea Government, accessed 8 July 2025.  

Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (2022) Papua New Guinea Tourism Sector Development Plan: 2022-2026, Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, accessed 7 July 2025. https://papuanewguinea.travel/corporate-site/ 

Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (2025) 2024 Visitor Arrival Report, Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, accessed 6 July 2025. https://papuanewguinea.travel/corporate-site/ 

Prasad, BC (Deputy Prime Minister; Minister for Finance) (2025) 2025-26 National Budget Address, Republic of Fiji Government, accessed 8 July 2025. 

Taylor T, Burdsey D, and Jarvis N (2022) ‘A  critical review on sport and the Arabian Peninsula – the current state of play and future directions’, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 15(2): pp. 367-383, https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2023.2206399 

 

Rupert Azzopardi

Rupert is in his final semester of a Master of International Relations at the University of Melbourne. His interest in Australia-Papua New Guinea relations began while writing for the Young Diplomats Society, where he contributed analytical works on the topic of Australia and the Pacific Islands region. Currently, he is completing a minor thesis that traces Indonesian diplomatic responses to its Natuna waters dispute with China. Issues surrounding sovereignty over the sea and its resources are accelerating, as states all around the world announce strategic pivots to the Indo-Pacific region. Rupert hopes to continue researching Australia’s role in the Pacific as it increasingly becomes a site of contestation.