The 12th Liklik Diwai Tourism Expo
By Theodore Baworo
The Liklik Diwai Tourism Expo first started as a Tourism Symposium in 2007 initiated by former lecturer of the Tourism & Hospitality Management department, Dr. Joyce Jazmin Rayel, who at that time was the lecturer for the unit TH415 Events Management course for the pioneering, final year degree students.
The Symposium invited one of the key industry players, Mr. Andrew Abel, the Founder and the President of Papua New Guinea Surfers Association (SAPNG) as part of the invited guest speakers among others. It was during that year when I first entered Divine Word University as an undergraduate student within the Tourism & Hospitality department with DWU as the only university offering full degree tourism program at that time.
Then in 2008, a former senior executive of PNGTPA and the then Executive Director of Madang Visitors’ & Cultural Bureau Ms. Erigere Singin took over the event giving more practical exposure to the next lot of fourth year students. As a practitioner, Ms. Singin together with her students changed the idea of symposium to an exposition branding it as Liklik Diwai Turism Expo in Tok Pisin language.
In English, ‘Liklik Diwai’ refers to a
little tree or a growing tree. The ‘little tree’ or as in Tok Pisin ‘Liklik
Diwai’ refers to life in its earliest stage. In fact according to the Alumni
& Friends newsletter of May 2011, the word ‘Diwai’was the idea originated
from the Communication Arts department dated back in 1982 when Fr. Wilhelm
Aliprandi at the then Divine Word Institute gathered his second year students
to come up with a brand name for a newsletter.
The word Diwai stood out to be ideal as
kundu drums and garamuts were made from wood or trees as traditional methods of
communication. It was then, Justice David Susame, a student at that time had an
input in designing the first ever ‘Liklik Diwai’ logo with a tree, so thus the
tree centered in every logo of the Liklik Diwai Tourism Expo.
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| Logo of the 2019 12th Liklik Diwai Tourism Expo |
The small tree symbolizes life in its
earliest form with the word ‘Liklik Diwai’ or small tree in English. This word
or phrase is most often used in association to our Alma mata and its alumnae.
The small tree is a metaphor for
development, and not just physical but in all aspects of life both physical and
spiritual through education and holistic approach. Thus, for any development to
take effect, the small tree must be taken care of up to its maturity stage.
Equally, DWU as an educational institution from its early days from a Catholic
high school, to Divine Word Institute and to now a university grooms its students
upon their entry with its core values and makes them mature after graduating
with necessary skills and graduate attributes and to be competent for the
industry!
Since its first inception over the
decade, the event has gained momentum with successes and provided opportunities
for the tourism industry members, partners, the general public to learn about tourism, travel and hospitality. This has also paved
opportunities for student interactions and stakeholders meeting potential
future employers and employees and to enhance marketing of tourism graduates
for the industry.
The event further gives practical exposure to the tourism students on how to strategically manage a successful event through planning, management, marketing, financial and operational considerations with
different strategies necessary to ensure a feasible event.
This year, it has been a great privilege for the event to be sponsored by Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNG TPA) as the major sponsor with a funding of K20,000 for the event and FRG Clothing with the designing, embroidery and supply of the event’s uniforms. The event is said to be opened by the Simbu Bikers’ Association as part of the floating ceremony as well as closing of the event with showing of stunts as part of the entertainment for the crowd which is something new and bigger for this year’s expo.
The 2019 12th Liklik Diwai Tourism Expo will be held on 20th September, 2019 at the Divine Word University's main campus in Madang province.
The Theme for this year is: "Tourism and Jobs: Collaborating in harmony for a sustainable future."
Come, see and learn what tourism is all about in this wonderful event hosted by the final year Tourism & Hospitality Management students of DivineWord University!
See video for a glimpse of the event. A video produced by Gaile Kivali taken during the 9th Liklik Diwai Tourism Expo in 2016.
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