Kulang: Mt Wilhelm is good tourist destination

MOUNT Wilhelm in Gembogl district, Chimbu, has a huge potential to sell Papua New Gui­nea as a lucrative tourism destination, an MP says.
“It can earn PNG millions of kina if it is developed properly into a marketable tourism product,” Kundiawa-Gembogl MP Tobias Kulang said.
He said to that end, an integrated package was being developed to market PNG’s highest peak in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.
Kulang said Mt Wilhelm was the flagship of PNG and an excellent tourism destination.
“As a local from the Mt Wilhelm area, I have pursued interest to develop it and sell to the Southeast Asian tourism market, not only that but to the rest of the world to bring in huge tourism dollars to PNG,” Kulang said.
He is working in partnership with the Tourism Promotion Autho­rity (TPA) to develop the package.
“I am determined to market Mt Wilhelm as a major tourism destination,” Kulang said.
He said the huge potential of Mt Wilhelm was being held back by unfavourable road conditions between Kundiawa town and Gembogl in upper Chimbu.
“As a matter of priori­ty, I am concentrating on fixing the road to enable tourists to visit Mt Wilhelm and importantly the 26,000 people of Gembogl to bring their garden produce to markets,” he said.
He said he had bought dump trucks and plant equipment that would complement the heavy machinery operated by the Kundiawa-Gembogl Development Corporation to repair the road.
The Kundiawa-Gembogl-Mondia road has not been maintained for the past 25 years and Kulang wants to see it done properly.
To keep the road passable, the people are clearing it manually.
“A decent road is very important for the smooth flow of basic services and tourists to flood into Mt Wilhelm,” Kulang said.
He said he paid K900,000 to the people who manually cleared the road.
The first phase of sealing would begin soon.