Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd showed its support for the Tufi Tapa and Tattoo Cultural Festival by presenting a cheque for K50,000 to Michael Uiari, the festival chairman.
The sponsorship cheque was presented by Luke Liria, Kumul Petroleum’s Corporate Services Executive General Manager. Mr Liria said the company became a bronze sponsor as part of its CSR responsibilities and to preserve culture and tourism.
“Kumul’s support to the Tufi Tapa and Tattoo cultural festival is part of its corporate social responsibility and the preservation of the culture. Preservation is important at this time when the nation is moving fast with the digital age, and with change in technology, we can easily disconnect with our way of life. It makes it important for us as we support this programme,” Mr Liria said.
“We want to add value to the country, and part of that is sustaining our culture, our way of life. So, this sponsor through this event aligns very well with what Kumul stands for,” he added.
This is the fourth time the festival will be held, and its chairman, Michael Uiari, said, “The festival has got two aims. Preservation of culture and promoting tourism. Because of Covid-19, we have not actually seen much of the impact we would like to have seen because international travel has stopped in the last two years.
“The good thing that we have seen was that locals within the area have started investing in the sort of infrastructure that would be needed to house tourists. You have the resort, and then you start to see guest houses emerge. The resort has only a limited number of beds,” Mr Uiari explained.
“Over time, we hope to get to the point where if we have international visitors who would like to enjoy that village type experience, then they can step out to the guesthouses and live with the community.
He added, “Tourists can walk the Kokoda Track, but they can also come to Tufi and enjoy its natural beauty, and this is the purpose of the festival, and we hold it in November each year.”
Mr Uiari also thanked Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd for its support.
Image credit: Tufi Tapa & Tattoo Cultural Festival Facebook Page
