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While Papua New Guinea remains a relative newcomer to the global tourism stage, international arrivals to the country have risen steadily over the past decade, from just over 69,200 in 2005 to more than 198,600 in 2015, according to data compiled by the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority. Although notable, most of the increase has been driven by the influx of business travellers and workers that has accompanied PNG’s recent economic growth as opposed to a substantial boost in holidaymakers. This trend has reversed slightly as economic growth has cooled and as segments such as cruise and adventure tourism have taken hold. This chapter contains an interview with Tobias Kulang, Minister of Tourism.

Home to a remarkable amount of biodiversity, rich volcanic soil, bountiful waterways and a moist tropical climate, Papua New Guinea possesses all the elements to fashion itself into a thriving agricultural exporter. These native assets have supplied the basic natural building blocks providing nourishment to country’s population throughout history, and more recently to the agribusiness industry for exporting cash crops such as coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, copra, rubber and palm oil. Given this abundance of naturally-occurring inputs along with a substantial labour pool already well versed in agriculture cultivation, the only stumbling blocks standing in the way of a robust agro-industry are the means to increase efficiencies throughout the value chain to make production and distribution more competitive. This chapter contains interviews with John Kasu, Managing Director, National Fisheries Authority; and Robert Nilkare, Country Manager for Papua New Guinea, New Britain Palm Oil Limited; and a roundtable with Alan Bird, Agricultural Development Consultant; Ilan Weiss, Chairman and Executive Director, Innovative Agro Industry; and Sir Brown Bai, Chairman, Rural Industries Council.

Building on the momentum generated by the successful launch of the Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas project, the government continues to take the lead in stimulating construction activity in PNG, with various opportunities across the board from ports and road projects to a range of residential and commercial developments open to both domestic and foreign companies for participation and investment. With only 3% of land available to the government to build on and develop, the real estate sector in Papua New Guinea operates in a unique environment. Despite the majority of land being under customary ownership, with ownership rights held by extended family groups, there are still a number of opportunities for foreign investors and development in the sector, with more on the horizon if government-backed legislation, currently pending, opens up more of PNG’s land for development. This chapter contains interviews with Dominic Avenell, Managing Director, Avenell Engineering Systems; Gudmundur Fridriksson, CEO, Paga Hill Estate; and Frank Kramer, CEO, Kramer Ausenco.

Often overshadowed by the extractive industries, Papua New Guinea’s industrial manufacturing, down¬stream processing and value-added sectors in fact serve as the largest formal employer in the country and continue to attract investment despite fiscal challenges presented by the current operating environment. Beyond employment, sustained long-term growth for PNG industry will be crucial for the country to steer clear of negative consequences associated with “Dutch disease”, which is incurred from relying too heavily on mining and energy. Developing local industry to offer more import replacement goods will also be essential to eventually lowering the cost of goods and services. This chapter contains an interview with Stan Joyce, Managing Director, South Pacific Brewery.

Located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea is home to a rich supply of natural resources. However, with a geography characterised by tall peaks and deep ravines, miles of challenging coastline and a climate that encourages year-round vegetation, infrastructure can be difficult to place, install and maintain. While these topographical challenges sometimes make it problematic to move resources and people around PNG, issues around security and budgetary constraints up the ante further when it comes to creating a secure and efficient transport network for the country. This chapter contains an interview with Robert Howden, Managing Director, Express Freight Management.

The Papua New Guinea telecoms market is set to enter a new phase. After nearly a decade of rapid expansion, largely the consequence of Jamaica-based Digicel’s market dominance on the mobile side, and given state-run Telikom’s virtual lock on essential infrastructure, credible and effective competition may soon be arriving. A restructuring has been proposed that promises to combine Bmobile, the number two player in the mobile space, and Citifon, the number three, and bolt them on to a new nationwide 4G network to create a powerful challenger to Digicel. This chapter contains an interview with Michael Donnelly, CEO, Telikom.