The Rise, Fall and Future of Kokoda Tourism
By 2015 the mismanagement of Kokoda tourism was patently obvious.
On the Trail itself illegal tour companies operated without fear of sanction; guides, porters and campsite owners continued to be exploited; villagers were mere spectators to a passing parade of trekkers because they had not been trained in providing goods and services to meet their needs; there were no management systems in place so the ‘law of the jungle’ prevailed along the Trail which led to disputes over campsites between trek groups; environmental degradation; and the desecration of heritage sites. And annua trekker numbers remained stuck 46 percent lower than when the DFAT Kokoda Initiative took control of the management from PNG in 2009.
We therefore gathered information from our Adventure Kokoda trek leaders who had a combined total of 160 years professional military service and who had led more than 600 expeditions across the Trail over the previous 23 years.
Our ideas were based on our practical experiences across the Trail, the relationships we had established with villagers, and our desire to help them prosper from Kokoda tourism.
We have never received a response from the submission which has resulted in village communities being denied the opportunity to earn at least an extra K1 million in additional income.
