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The future of eco-tourism along the WWII Kokoda Trail looks brighter and the benefits are manifolds as long as there is collaborative effort towards achieving a sustainable tourism in the area, this was revealed at a recent worskop in Port Moresby this week.
Participants at a one-day sustainable seminar organised by The Kokoda Track Foundation at the Gateway Hotel on Tuesday, June 15th were told that sustainable or eco-tourism is the way to go for the future of tourism along Kokoda and PNG.
The workshop brought together different stakeholders, representatives from the government, trekking operators, NGOs, service organisations, executive members of the Kokoda Track Authority and landowners to discuss the outcome of the two previously held workshops ? one in Sydney in 2003 with Australia stakeholders, and the Efogi workshop (28 ? 29 April 2004) with the track landowners.
Participants at the sustainable workshop at the Gateway Motel
sustainable_workshop1In doing so, the seminar sough to provide feedback to landowners on their vision for sustainable tourism and secure support from interest groups based outside the Kokoda Track.
Chairman of the Kokoda Track Foundation, Charlie Lynn said the purpose of the series of meetings was to develop self sustaining tourist activities and at the same time provide services people are lacking along the trail.
?This is for the people. It is something that they totally own and their future and for their children,? Mr Lynn said.
Charlie Lynn addressing the participants during the workshop
CIMG0196.JPGFacilitators of the workshop, Paul Chatterton with the World Wide Fund in Madang and Dr Stephen Wearing, a full time lecturer at the Sydney?s University of Technology raised several important points on what can be achieved through sustainable tourism and pointed out ways to achieved and also highlighted common problems or hindrances to achieving those.
The track which is currently a major attraction for tourists overseas and especially Australians who share a special history with Papua New Guineans, have been dubbed as a ?powerful tool? for people in the area.
?People along the trail need to be educated about what a powerful thing Kokoda is to them and especially the international trekkers. You cannot do Kokoda and afterwards not affected by the experience,? Mr Lynn said.
Mr Lynn, a Vietnamese war veteran and a popular name along the trail has frequented Kokoda and walked more that 30 times on the trail.
CIMG0221.JPGThe presentation of the Efogi workshop was presented by the members of foundation and also village councillors, Alfred Amuli and Gary Imri who were instrumental in bringing together village people and especially landowner participation in the workshop. It was the first meeting ever of village elders and landowners since the WWI and was also a chance for women along Kokoda to voice their concerns.
?For women the big cry is have some volunteers go down there and train them how to cook, bake or sew,? Mr Imri said.
After the presentation participants were rounded up into 6 groups to get their feedbacks on the two presentations and especially inject their contributions on what they think needs to be included in the development plan.
Each group were required to provide what they feel were the three top needs to good tourism and contribute their ideas on what can be done to achieve this and also to list down what they thought were possible threats on the trail.
Major issues, like criminal activities, bad publicity including landowner issues have been highlighted among others as possible threats to trekking business.
Awareness programs to be carried out along the trail and proper sanitation on toilet facilities and guesthouses were named as priorities.
A collective views on the workshop and contributions were gauged from trekking companies, Local Level Government (LLG), Government Level, donor agencies, environment experts, community and landowners who participated in the workshop.
Each group came up with interesting suggestions which will be considered by the Kokoda Track Foundation and report back on the feedbacks.
The Kokoda Track Foundation was happy with the input from participants and urged that everyone work together in making this a reality.
Ends?
Dr Stephen Wearing:
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