Thursday, October 10, 2013

Local businessman builds hotel in Wabag

By PHILIP KEPSON

ENGA, the capital of Wabag will see a major facelift with the inauguration of a state-of-the-art hotel facility early next year.
A three-storey extension to the Ribito Motel in Wabag town, which is currently under construction, will contain 40 executive rooms, an international standard conference room, a swimming pool, an internet café, a barber shop and massaging and associated services.
Local businessman and property owner Paul Kurai, who has gone against all odds to invest K3.6 million in 2005 in the construction of the 13-room Ribito Motel, said it would cost him well over K13 million in investments when work on the extension project is completed.
Mr Kurai, who is also a local politician as the ward councilor with the Wabag Rural Local Level Government for more than 20 years, said the market for investing in such business opportunities was not attractive in his province but one of the other reasons was to encourage fellow Engans to think about coming back to the province to support government funded development programs through such initiatives.
“Yes, I can easily buy a piece of land in Port Moresby and put up a hotel facility there, but who would support government programs in building our own province?”
“Therefore, I have decided to invest here regardless of what people may think or say about Enga. It would be nice if colleague Engans can think and do the same.”
Enga Governor Peter Ipatas, who visited the construction site, has described Mr Kurai’s decision to invest millions of kina in the hotel and hospitality progam as a major breakthrough particularly when many businessmen and educated Engans thought it was not worth investing a lot of money in Enga.
“I am more than happy with Mr Kurai for coming up with a bold decision to invest millions of kina in building the hotel facility,” the governor said.
“It is also a major breakthrough particularly when many people continue to think it is not economically viable to invest in our own province,” he said.
Provincial commerce and hospitality director Margaret Potane said Mr Kuari’s decision was in the right direction as tourism was a growing industry that had a potential to overtake some of the major internal revenue earning commodities like coffee and copra.
“I think Mr Kurai has made an intelligent decision to invest in the hotel and hospitality industry.” 

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