21 Nov 2013

Cruise generates good publicity for tourism in PNG's Milne Bay

4:15 pm on 21 November 2013

Tourism operators in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay says the maiden visit to the province of a large cruise ship has generated good publicity for the area.

The P&O cruise liner, Pacific Dawn, made its first visit to Milne Bay at the start of the month, docking in the provincial capital Alotau.

The manager of the Milne Bay Provincial Tourism Bureau, Maxine Nadile says all of the 2000-plus guests on board the 11 deck vessel got to experience the annual canoe festival and visit war memorial sites.

"Our tourism industry's still in its infancy here. So in terms of having a big name like Carnival and P&O here gives more, certainly a lot of more exposure for Milne Bay and in Alotau in particular."

Maxine Nadile says another six cruise liners are expected to visit Milne Bay next year and this number is expected to rise in following years.