With P-NG

Tourists Not Impressed With P-NG

From Our Brisbane Correspondent IT was reported recently in the Bris bane Courier-Mail that round-trip passengers, who travelled to New Guinea on the MV Bulolo recently, complained of Federal Government apathy to boosting tourist traffic to New Guinea.

According to press reports, the pas sengers claimed that failure to foster US tourist interest in New Guinea and near by islands, was losing Australia thousands of dollars. The tourists com plained of inferior hotel accommodation, limited sightseeing through poor trans port facilities, and that no organised tourist arrangements had been provided.

The Bulolo had completed a month’s trip, including visits to Port Moresby, Rabaul, Lae, and Samarai (Papua).

A Sydney company director contended that there was a wonderful opening for an organised tourist outfit in New Guinea alone. At present, no interest was displayed in tourists, and everything was badly organised once the passengers had left the boat. He believed Australia could reap thousands of dollars from Americans anxious to bring parents and wives back to see the places where they fought in 1942-45.

Another passenger said that tourist traffic was not encouraged and that some of the hotels were “dreadful.” Trippers were totally dependent on friends for sight-seeing. “Why not have a roomy tourist coach at ports of call?” queried another passenger. He considered that taxi fares were very costly when tourists wished to go any distance.