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THE Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion
Authority (TPA) has warned trekking companies to be careful not to send
the wrong signal overseas by employing police escorts.
Chief executive officer Peter Vincent stressed that it had always been
TPA’s position that no police escorts should be engaged on the Kokoda
Track or any
other track in the country unless it was absolutely necessary.
Mr Vincent’s comments followed media reports that police were providing
escorts to trekkers on the Kokoda Track.
“PNG already has a perception problem as it is and the last thing we
want is to further fuel that negativity by providing police escorts for
trekkers on the Kokoda Track,” he said.
“The Kokoda Track is the fastest growing tourism icon for PNG right now
and we do not want to unnecessarily create fear among those tourists
planning to visit in future that the Kokoda Track is a security risk.”
He said PNG TPA would therefore discourage any tourism operators, both
local and overseas, from using paid or free police escorts on the Kokoda
Track or any
other track in PNG.
Mr Vincent said TPA acknowledged that there were law and order issues in
PNG but those were isolated to major urban centres and not the rural
areas which still remained peaceful today.
“It is the TPA’s objective that our visitors should be given all the
opportunity to experience the peace and tranquility of PNG by freely
meeting and interacting with locals along these tracks or anywhere
else,” he added.
“Because that is where they experience the real PNG where our people are
smiling, open and very friendly.”
He said while TPA commended the police force in their ongoing commitment
to maintaining law and order, tourism was a very fragile industry
especially for PNG and “we should be careful not to send the wrong
message” to those intending to visit our beautiful country.
 
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