Tour operators told to involve more landowners

By JAMES GUMUNO
AN eco-tourism operator has urged tour operators to involve more landowners in their operations.
Mt Giluwe eco-tourism owner Edward Tama, from Tambul/Nebilyer district in Western Highlands, build a trek to the summit of the mountain, the third highest in the country located at the border of Western Highlands and Southern Highlands.
Tama said tour operators would be taking a big risk if they ignored locals.
“Someone from outside will not go into other people’s territory and use their resources to make money for themselves,” he said.
Tama said tour operators taking tourists to climb Mt Giluwe must involve locals as porters, guides or to provide cultural entertainment for tourists.
He wants to promote Mt Giluwe as a tourist destination so that people in the village could benefit from it.
Tama said the number of tourists climbing Mt Giluwe was increasing every year because of the assistance of tour operators such as Pacific International, Trans Niugini and Paiyo tour companies. He said he used to take less than 20 tourists to the top but this had increased to 31.
“I want to thanked tour companies for partnering with me and my people,” he said.
Tama said that he received many tourists from Australia, England, America, Japan, China, Spain, and Russia.