Musicians in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay province are doing their bit to help the local tourism and hospitality sector.
Jay & Roz of the Kula Groove Project. Photo: Supplied
The sector has been hit badly by the loss of business after the Covid-19 pandemic brought an abrupt halt to international tourism.
But local artist collective Kula Groove Project has been busy performing a series of live events at lodges, hotels and cafes in Alotau.
In these gigs, the local musical duo Jay & Roz has been accompanying live painting by prominent PNG artist Jeffrey feeger.
Roslyn Koisen of Jay & Roz said there were ways to help local businesses who are struggling
"We said why don't we use this as an opportunity to try and use the arts to try and help the tourism downtime that's happened here in Alota. Because Alotau got hit really badly, the tourism industry, with the cruise ships shutting down over the coronavirus," he said.
Due to pandemic measures in PNG's capital, musicians in Port Moresby are experiencing difficulty getting gig work and earning income, but there are less restrictions in Alotau.
"People are starting to the see the importance, or the bigger part that music and art play in the tourism industry. You can have a venue, and people can come for an hour for lunch. But you throw in some music and live art, and people will stay for the whole afternoon and buy some more drink."
Jay & Roz spoke to RNZ Pacific from Alotau about sharing their music via social media, and helping the local tourism industry get through this time of struggle.
