Tomorrow will mark World Tourism Day, and the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) will be hosting a conference with the identify and work to address issues affecting the tourism industry. World Tourism Day Conference is set to take place on Friday, 27th September, at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby to bring together various stakeholders from the tourism industry to voice their concerns and discuss strategies to mitigate challenges facing the sector. The global event will be observed in PNG through the informative conference, themed, “Tourism & Peace: Unlocking PNG’s Potential through Addressing Law and Infrastructure Challenges.” aims to tackle some of the most pressing issues hindering the growth of tourism in the country. Just recently the PNG TPA reported a big surge in tourists visiting the country with K38 million injected into the country’s economy from these visits just this year alone; a driving factor behind the efforts to do more to address issues impacting the tourism industry so that a lot more tourists may come visit the country. The conference will be focusing on three critical topics, Addressing Law and Order, Aviation and Infrastructure and Tourism Operators. Special guests expected to speak during the conference are, Acting Managing Director for the National Airports Corporation (NAC), Mr. Dominic Kaumu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Niugini Limited, Mr. Garry Seddon, Governor of NCDC, Powes Parkop, Police Commissioner David Manning, and the Head of the Tourism and Hospitality Management Department at UPNG, Dr. Joyce Rayel. TPA’s CEO, Eric Mossman Uvovo described the conference as a crucial and timely event for the sector. "This conference is a crucial moment for the future of tourism in Papua New Guinea. We are bringing together the key players in the industry to discuss real challenges and find practical solutions that can unlock our country’s vast tourism potential,” he said. “Law and order, infrastructure, and aviation are critical areas where we need progress, and this dialogue will be an important step toward a brighter future for tourism in PNG.” Uvovo also emphasized the importance of stakeholders from the industry working collaboratively for the future of tourism in the country. “Discussions ranging from government security strategies to aviation infrastructure updates and the challenges faced by tourism operators. The conference will provide a platform for collaboration between the public and private sectors.” He added that PNG’s tourism industry has enormous potential, but unlocking that potential requires a unified effort to address the barriers that currently hold us back.