With its largely untouched waters, diving sites in Papua New Guinea are a haven for all kinds of divers. Its bountiful underwater sanctuaries offer plenty of aquatic wonders for newbie and expert divers to see. However, despite the promises of an enthralling plunge into the waters of this Oceanian country, one big question keeps divers skeptic whether to visit the place: is Papua New Guinea safe for foreign tourists like you?
The short answer is: no, especially not at this moment.
Just this year, the Tawali dive resort robbery made the headlines when armed gunmen held 20 foreign tourists hostage. It was supposed to be a fun and memorable experience for the said tourists, diving in the pristine waters of Milne Bay. However, it turned out to be a traumatic experience for them. Although no one was harmed, the culprits took wallets, phones, cameras and other personal items from the victims. This makes the third time the PNG dive resort was raided.
On a related note, the US Department of State has placed Level 4 security alert on two of PNG’s provinces—the highest international security alert comparable with North Korea, Yemen, Iran, Iraq and Syria. The security alert was placed on Hela and Southern Higlands Province because of the on-going tribal war and government protests which led to a torching incident of an Air Niugini passenger aircraft in the same year.
Unrest in the country has led to a travel ban for PNG due to robbery, tribal fighting.
As these crimes put PNG in the global spotlight, the tourism sector is calling for urgent intervention to keep law and order in the country. The said incidents have caused a major setback in PNG’s tourism despite the efforts of the Tourism Promotion Authority to promote the country.
Because of that, tourism officals are tapping the PNG government, police force, investors, and the locale to address the issues the country is facing right now. Action must be done especially when the World Bank and PNG Government’s US$20 million tourism hub development program is set to roll out which may benefit the diving industry in Papua New Guinea.
Amidst the security controversy, PNG was put in hot water once again when they pushed through hosting the APEC Summit last month. The capability of the country has been up for debates as it is one of the poorest of APEC’s 21 member, and security is one area it’s been criticized the most.
Due to the apparent lack of law and order, neighboring countries have lend a hand to improve security in the country—a move that gives hope to both the locales and foreign tourists wanting to visit the country. New Zealand and Australia have been hands on in training PNG’s police force leading up to the huge gathering of leaders in the Asia-Pacific. From this training, it is expected that this strengthens the capabilities of PNG’s armed force to uphold order in the country even after the summit has concluded.
Is Papua New Guinea safe for foreign tourists, especially divers? Not exactly just yet. However, it may not be too long before it is.
Give it some time and changes will soon be felt. This is especially true now that the country has been put in the spotlight, exposing the security problems PNG has been battling for several years. Concerned parties like the tourism sector are now taking actions to prevent incidents like what happened in Tawali resort. Hopefully in a few months from now, divers from different countries will never have to fear visiting Papua New Guinea resorts in the future. And soon, you’ll never have to worry about your safety when diving in the waters of PNG again.
The short answer is: no, especially not at this moment.
Heightened Security Alert
Just this year, the Tawali dive resort robbery made the headlines when armed gunmen held 20 foreign tourists hostage. It was supposed to be a fun and memorable experience for the said tourists, diving in the pristine waters of Milne Bay. However, it turned out to be a traumatic experience for them. Although no one was harmed, the culprits took wallets, phones, cameras and other personal items from the victims. This makes the third time the PNG dive resort was raided.
On a related note, the US Department of State has placed Level 4 security alert on two of PNG’s provinces—the highest international security alert comparable with North Korea, Yemen, Iran, Iraq and Syria. The security alert was placed on Hela and Southern Higlands Province because of the on-going tribal war and government protests which led to a torching incident of an Air Niugini passenger aircraft in the same year.
Unrest in the country has led to a travel ban for PNG due to robbery, tribal fighting.
Call for Urgent Intervention
As these crimes put PNG in the global spotlight, the tourism sector is calling for urgent intervention to keep law and order in the country. The said incidents have caused a major setback in PNG’s tourism despite the efforts of the Tourism Promotion Authority to promote the country.
Because of that, tourism officals are tapping the PNG government, police force, investors, and the locale to address the issues the country is facing right now. Action must be done especially when the World Bank and PNG Government’s US$20 million tourism hub development program is set to roll out which may benefit the diving industry in Papua New Guinea.
APEC Summit: Bolsting PNG’s Security
Amidst the security controversy, PNG was put in hot water once again when they pushed through hosting the APEC Summit last month. The capability of the country has been up for debates as it is one of the poorest of APEC’s 21 member, and security is one area it’s been criticized the most.
Due to the apparent lack of law and order, neighboring countries have lend a hand to improve security in the country—a move that gives hope to both the locales and foreign tourists wanting to visit the country. New Zealand and Australia have been hands on in training PNG’s police force leading up to the huge gathering of leaders in the Asia-Pacific. From this training, it is expected that this strengthens the capabilities of PNG’s armed force to uphold order in the country even after the summit has concluded.
Is Papua New Guinea safe for foreign tourists, especially divers? Not exactly just yet. However, it may not be too long before it is.
Give it some time and changes will soon be felt. This is especially true now that the country has been put in the spotlight, exposing the security problems PNG has been battling for several years. Concerned parties like the tourism sector are now taking actions to prevent incidents like what happened in Tawali resort. Hopefully in a few months from now, divers from different countries will never have to fear visiting Papua New Guinea resorts in the future. And soon, you’ll never have to worry about your safety when diving in the waters of PNG again.
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