SYDNEY, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Air Niugini is set to launch the first direct flights between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and China next month, the airline said on Thursday.

Air Niugini's acting CEO Tahawar Durrani told Xinhua that tickets are already open for bookings from this week.

"We are looking at first flight departing on Tuesday, Oct. 23," he said.

The flight will departing from Port Moresby and arrive at China's financial hub of Shanghai.

Set to be a boom for the PNG economy, the news comes as the country is set to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November.

With all eyes squarely focused the South Pacific nation in the run-up to the event, PNG Minister Responsible for APEC, Justin Tkatchenko, recently said the government is looking to do all it can during this time to boost the tourism sector and showcase the county's immense natural beauty.

Looking to attract vast numbers of Chinese travelers to the tropical, sun-drenched nation, PNG has also moved to relax many visa restrictions for Chinese visitors.