Detailed objective
The main market objective of Theo’s Guide & Wantok Tours is to provide tour information and packages for not only overseas tourists but also for nationals who want to get out of the urban areas and put their money directly into local village communities.
Theo’s Guide tours is based on eco-tours combining nature and cultural experiences at the village-based tourism level whilst being conservative to the natural environment and its habitat. Community or village-based tourism offers visitors the opportunities to get closer to the local community and experience local life and culture. Many rural places in Papua New Guinea may be beautiful but may be hard for the people to make income out of their beautiful communities or villages. As such the main motive behind Theo’s Guide is to promote these local destinations so that these small communities can generate income directly from visitors to meet their needs financially and directly improve their lives and the upkeep of their natural environment and their indigenous cultures.
Theo’s Guide seeks to empower local and professional tour guides for the tourists and as escorts and interpreters. We also act as eco-tourism consultant within the informal sector of the tourism industry, in providing guidelines and education awareness on how local tourism businesses can develop their products and better meet the visitors’ demand and by adopting the United Nation's recently launched (2017) Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC) as part of maintaining the best business practices for reducing negative environmental impacts on the host communities.
Theo’s Guide will act as an agent to encourage communities that are protecting their land and environment where there is threat from the pressure of the ongoing developments taking place such as the proposed Pacific Marine Industrial Zone and other new mining companies; and will alert people to protect these places and encourage sustainable projects and identify potential tourism products along with ecotourism. Projects in line with ecotourism, not only providing opportunity for visitors’ experience but also help to ensure that the culture and way of life of the villagers are recognized as assets to be protected and preserved for their children and grand children in the future.
Papua New Guinea has an unmatched diversity of cultures, languages and traditions and offers tourists something they could not find anywhere else in the world with million different journeys to be explored. With Theo’s Guide venture it will aim to encourage tourism with the approach of ecotourism that goes in line with the protection of the natural environment, preservation of the diverse cultures and maintain local indigenous languages and lifestyle; and the local communities to ensure that any money generated from tourism is put directly into the communities themselves.
Despite the lack of infrastructure and services in the rural villages, Theo’s Guide will further act as a marketing agent to advertise to those special interest or adventurous tourists who would love to explore the beauty and culture of the potential rural tourism; and encourage other partners or NGO’s to join in-directly to support the infrastructure and services to the rural tourism destinations. This would contribute to advertising some of PNG’s potential rural tourism destination.
It is hope that with this establishment and initiative, we hope to bring in visitors not only to the already established hotels but to the tourism communities where tourists can learn the culture and enjoy nature that is so unique only to Papua New Guinea!