PNG Tourism reports that Papua New Guinea has bucked the global recession by recording positive growth in international visitor arrivals.

In the first six months of 2009, there was an increase of 3.3 percent compared to the same period in 2008, giving a total of 54,534 international arrivals, according to official figures. The growth was reflected by an increase in short-term employment in PNG, which resulted from the explosion of international investments in the country

However these figures conceal a drop in leisure travelers since last year. Holiday numbers actually decreased by 14 percent, which PNG Tourism attributes to the worldwide economic downturn. A contributory factor may have been the short-term closure of the Kokoda Track at the beginning of this year. The Kokoda Track is now firmly established as a world-class hiking trail, and is a "must do" attraction for many of the more adventurous holiday travelers to PNG.

Now that the Kokoda Track is once again open, hikers will benefit from a joint initiative between the Governments of PNG and Australia to subsidise weekly flights to airstrips serving the trail, at Manari, Efogi, Kagi and Milei. This will improve access to the route, as well as facilitating food supplies for trekkers on the rugged 96 kilometer track. The intergovernmental agreement was signed at the 2008 Ministerial Forum as part of the Joint Understanding on the Kokoda Track and Owen Stanley Ranges.