Our office at Boroko

CONTACT DETAILS
Ecotourism Melanesia Ltd
Section 55 Lot 25 Lokua Avenue, Boroko, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
(All mail to: PO Box 531 Gordons, NCD, Papua New Guinea)
Phone & Fax (+675) 323 4518 or 340 5066 (local business hours)
Director's cell phone (24 hours but please be kind) (+675) 7686 8917
E-mail ecomel@online.net.pg · Website: www.em.com.pg

Please note there is no street delivery of mail in Papua New Guinea. All mail must be addressed to our PO Box. Only courier deliveries should be directed to our street address.

OUR STAFF
Director: Mr Aaron Hayes B.Sc. Dip.Ed. M.Psych.
Senior tour coordinator: Mr Wing Wima
Tour coordinators: Shirellyne Pielo,
Kokoda trekking coordinator: Mr Casmiro Maia Cert Tourism
Senior trekking guide: Mr Philip Arari
Admin manager: Mr Glynn Iruru
Accounts officer: Mrs Antoinette Fagau Cert. Accounts
Regional coordinators and agents: Pym Mamindi (Mt Hagen), Espinol Paul (Goroka), Theo Baworo (Madang), Albert Lumut (Wewak), Relvie Michael (Rabaul), Jane Toleitau (Milne Bay), MacLaren Hiari (Popondetta), Delma Amenai (Kokoda)
Amin clerk: Bobbly Malish
Driver: Jeffrey Hapea
Caterer: Rose Amenai
Security staff and general hands: Laiovu (Wally) Seapo, Ian Esi, Miri Kake, Scott Osi

ACCREDITATIONS
Foundation member of the Tour Operators Association of PNG Inc

Foundation member of the Kokoda Trekking Operators Association Inc

Foundation member of the Community-Based Tourism Foundation of PNG

Corporate member of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation

Licensed by the Kokoda Track Authority as a Kokoda Track trek operator (Lic #028)

Recognised and listed by the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority

Accredited accommodation wholesaler for the Coral Sea Hotels group

Accredited supplier to Blue Holidays (Virgin Blue)

Public Liability insurance policy issued by Kanda International insurance Port Moresby

OUR STORY
Ecotourism Melanesia is an inbound tour operator specialising in ecotourism experiences in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Our aim is to encourage overseas visitors to travel to the rural areas so that more tourism dollars will go directly into the pockets of local people, giving them a viable alternative to less enviro-friendly forms of income like logging and mining. The company was established in 2003 and is privately owned by Aaron Hayes, an Australian teacher and psychologist who developed an interest in community-based ecotourism after working in the education sectors of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea for many years and developing strong ties with local people at the village level.

With a full time staff of 10 (and many part-time tour guides in the provinces), Ecotourism Melanesia is now the 5th largest inbound tour operator in Papua New Guinea ... big enough to rely on, small enough to cater to the interests of individual travellers. The company is based in Port Moresby and has a network of handling agents and tour guides throughout PNG and also Solomon Islands. Ecotourism Melanesia is a founding member of the Tour Operators Association of PNG, the body overseeing professional standards in the inbound tour industry in Papua New Guinea, and a responsible corporate member of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.

We offer a range of standard and individualised eco-holiday packages for free independent travellers (FIT) and escorted tours for small groups. All our published tours are originally designed and programmed by our director over thousands of man-hours and 99% of the images used on our website are our own photos taken by our staff and clients during the course of their tours. If you find any similarly worded itineraries or tour descriptions offered by other tour companies you can be sure these have been lifted from Ecotourism Melanesia and not vice-versa.

We also provide customised arrangements for individual clients and groups with special interests (eg volcano watchers) or special requirements (eg logistical fixing arrangements for film crews, research teams and missionary groups). In Port Moresby where we are based, we provide transfers and day trips, and provide ground-handling services for other tour operators, visiting passenger vessels and groups travelling by private charter aircraft. We focus on providing cultural tours and nature tours that enable visitors to get up close and personal with the people of Melanesia and the environment in which they live. From our Port Moresby office our tour coordinators monitor your tour arrangements on a daily basis to ensure that everything proceeds as smoothly as possible, and we provide 24-hour telephone numbers in case of emergency. Ecotourism Melanesia carries full public liability insurance. Some testimonials from clients who have travelled with us can be found here.

Ecotourism Melanesia has a responsible tourism policy supporting community-based tourism. All tours and packages arranged by this company must include at least one overnight or day trip to a village or other rural attraction operated by local people. This enables us to contribute in a systematic way to the rural economy, which encourages village dwellers to develop a sustainable livelihood in their home areas, where they can draw on the plentiful resources of the land and sea for their food, building materials etc, rather than migrating to urban areas like Port Moresby where high unemployment and poverty are prevalent.

See Aaron's views on village ecotourism as published in The National newspaper here.

Separately, Aaron serves on the committee of the Community-Based Tourism Foundation of Papua New Guinea, a charity organisation that helps rural village people establish guest houses, hiking trails, birdwatching areas, cultural entertainment groups etc that will enable them to earn a living from tourism. Donations to help CBTF operate its training and development programs are welcome.

In 2007, Aaron also founded the Kokoda Trekking Operators Association which provides training and support to small local PNG operators running treks along the Kokoda Trail to help them compete with the big overseas-based trekking companies.

MORE STAFF PICS

Jeffrey ("Jeff-Man") our driver

Bobbly our admin clerk

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