Prime Minister James Marape says Papua New Guinea’s entry into the National Rugby League (NRL) competition from 2028 must be leveraged as a major national economic driver, particularly as a catalyst for long-overdue tourism development.
Speaking on the broader economic opportunities arising from PNG’s inclusion in the NRL, the Prime Minister said regular international rugby league fixtures would bring thousands of visitors into the country every fortnight, creating sustained tourism demand rather than short-term event traffic.
“Every game week from 2028 onwards, we are expecting between 3,000 and 5,000 visiting supporters coming into our country,” Prime Minister Marape said in a statement.
“If each visitor spends an average of AUD5,000, that translates into between AUD30 million and AUD50 million injected into our economy every time we host a match.”
Prime Minister Marape said this steady flow of visitors presents an opportunity to position tourism as a major economic pillar, using rugby league as the entry point.
“This will not just be about people coming to watch a game and flying out the next day,” he said. “We want rugby league to become the seed that propagates tourism as a major economic activity for Papua New Guinea.”
The Prime Minister said the National Government will work closely with the National Capital District Commission, the Central Provincial Government, district administrations and local-level governments to prepare Port Moresby and surrounding areas to be receptive to visitors.
Villages along the Magi Highway and in Central Province — including Roku, Porobada, Papa-Lealea, Kido and communities in the Sogeri Plateau — will be supported to develop authentic tourism products that reflect Motu Koitabu, Koiari and Central Province culture and lifestyle.
He confirmed that former international rugby league player and prominent Central Province son, David Mead, has been appointed as a liaison and ambassador to work with local communities as part of this initiative.
Prime Minister Marape stressed that landowners will not be alienated from their land, but instead supported to register and develop it themselves.
“We will assist communities to build guesthouses, homestays, small resorts and cultural tourism ventures,” he said. “This will be done with proper planning, tourism policing and stronger penalties for anyone who harasses or threatens visitors.”
The Prime Minister said major infrastructure investments will complement tourism growth, including the Magi Highway, road links from Port Moresby to Alotau, planned connections toward Oro Province, and airport upgrades such as the Alotau terminal.
“These visitors should not just stay in Port Moresby,” he said. “We want to package tourism products — drive down the Magi Highway, fly out of Alotau, or travel onwards to Lae, Kokopo, Madang, the Highlands and our islands.”
Prime Minister Marape said Papua New Guinea remains one of the world’s most under-promoted tourism destinations, despite its unmatched natural and cultural assets.
“We have snow-capped Mount Wilhelm in the tropics, coral reefs, mangroves, beaches, rainforests, savannah grasslands, rivers, lakes, world-class diving, surfing, white-water rafting, and over 800 living cultures and languages,” he said.
“This is the last great tourism frontier.”
Prime Minister Marape said rugby league is more than sport.
“At its core, rugby league unites our country,” he said. “But embedded within it is the seed of tourism, economic diversification and national transformation.”
“From 2028 onwards and into the 2030s, we want rugby league to help open up Papua New Guinea to the world like never before.”