Kome boasts K26 million lake-side hotel

 By Gedion Timothy Lapan

FROM a humble beginning, Yasua Kome has developed his business and now owns a hotel worth K26 million in Surinki, Lagaip-Porgera district in Enga.

Surinki owns the Yaskom Resort Hotel near Lake Surinki where many of the big, fast-flowing rivers in the province originate from.

Kome left school in 1973 and after hearing stories of mining on Bougainville, decided to go there to look for opportunities to support himself in 1975. He moved to Lae in 1977 and decided to run a taxi business. He gave it up and returned home to Surinki in 1980.

He built a four-bedroom house and in 1990 decided to venture into the tourism and hospitality industry to take advantage of Surinki Lake which was well known for its exotic birds, flora and fauna.

He rented for accommodation the four-bedroom house. The village was located just two kilometres from the main Highlands Highway leading to the Porgera gold mine.

In 2000, the Enga provincial government recognised the potential his hotel had in attracting tourists and supported him. Kome recalls being discouraged by his own family from venturing into tourism because of the many tribal conflicts in the area.

“Today, Yaskom Resort Hotel’s net investment is valued at more than K26 million and is expected to grow,” Kome said.

“It  has 36 premium and deluxe self-contained rooms, an internationally-recognised restaurant, three spacious car parks which can hold more than 150 cars at one time, conference center which can cater for 150 and different packages for tourists to choose from.”

Kome is willing to invest more in tourism as tribal fights have disappeared from the area.

“Tribal fight and payback killings have dramatically decreased in West Enga,” Kome said.

Kome is regarded as the paramount chief in his area. He hails from the Kunalin tribe with more than 25,000 people.

Kome over the past 15 years financially helped churches (Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal and SDA) to spread the gospel in the volatile areas. His struggle is paying off. But he says there is still a long way to go.