Robert Agarobe
It was Provincial Governor Robert Agarobe who convinced the landowners to end their protest. He told them, “Let’s open the track, we got trekkers, trekking companies out there who want to finalize and book their trekkers to come for this trekking season.”
Robert Agarobe
What About The Site’s Reputation & Tourism?
Apart from the provincial governor, Papua New Guinea’s Tourism Promotion Chief Executive Jerry Agus also played a part in it. He believed that the closure would cause more damage to the reputation of both the local tourism and the historical site. In his interview, he said, “The word closure of Kokoda Track definitely has negative implications on the tourism industry in this country because you don’t only have Kokoda Track in the entire world, there are other alternative tracks that people can go to.” The Kokoda Tour Operators Association President Sue Fitcher also said that with the blockade cut short, it would help them improve the tourism in their state. However, she mentioned, “If we are going to entice more Australians to trek Kokoda, we need to have confidence that the track will remain open, that it’s business as usual, so this kind of disruption does have the potential to be damaging, [however] I don’t think it has been so on this occasion, to any extent.”
What About The Site’s Reputation & Tourism?
