Women of the Kokoda: From Poverty to Empowerment in Sustainable Tourism Development

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the power dynamics negotiated by women in local communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as they stake a claim in the development of sustainable tourism that is emerging along the Kokoda Track. The traditional understanding of power dynamics has been the "power as domination" perception, which attributes authority to dominant actors who exercise control over others. To comprehend the women's role in the development of ecotrekking along the Kokoda Track, we offer an alternative understanding of power struggle by invoking Foucault's notions of power and Gidden's structuration perspective. By applying these two philosophies, we illustrate how strategies of dominance, negotiation, and resistance are interwoven into day-to-day social interactions between women, men, tourism operators, and local communities. The particular focus of this article is on microbusiness projects along the track, a strategy pursued by the Kokoda Development Program. Women in the communities were generally happy to be supported to establish their own tourism businesses. This is particularly significant as women have traditionally had fewer opportunities than men to make money from trekkers: the main income from tourists into the villages has been through portering services, a predominately male activity. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this analysis for the empowerment of women in rural and remote communities through sustainable tourism development.