Tangkahan village near Mount Leuser in North Sumatra and Pemuteran
village in Bali are two of many villages in Indonesia that offer unique
ecotourism attractions.
They can set an example for other villages across the country to
develop sustainable tourism as envisaged by the government during a
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) meeting recently.
Tourists could enjoy ecotourism activities in Tangkahan such as
jungle trekking and elephant riding, said Valerina Daniel, the head of
the Tourism Ministry’s sustainable tourism acceleration team.
“In this village, people who used to be illegal loggers are now part
of developing the tourism village by offering packages to tourists,
which helps to preserve the forests,” she said in Jakarta recently.
Tourists visiting Pemuteran, which is known as a fishing village
where residents are active in marine conservation, can go diving and
snorkeling while participating in activities like coral conservation and
feeding turtles.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said after the UNWTO meeting that the
ministry wanted to create 2,000 tourism villages by the end of this
year, an increase from the 1,734 created last year.
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The program, managed in conjunction with the Villages, Disadvantaged
Regions and Transmigration Ministry, is part of the government’s
commitment to accelerate sustainable tourism.
According to UNWTO guidelines released in 2005, sustainable tourism
should take full account of its current and future economic, social and
environmental impact while addressing the needs of visitors, the
industry, environment and host community.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Regulation No. 14/2016 stipulates that sustainable tourism should empower local communities, preserve culture and conserve the environment.
Valerina said the development of tourism villages would be focused around the 10 priority destinations, or 10 New Balis, adding that the development was a sustainable tourism model that suited Indonesia, which has 75,000 villages across the archipelago.
“There are many villages in Indonesia and a village is the smallest instrument where we can directly empower the community by developing its potential while preserving its culture and environment based on the sustainable tourism principle,” she said.
He added that the development of the homestays and villages could be funded by state-owned enterprises’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
Another financing option would be using low-interest rate loans from banks with long-term maturity so that local players can thrive, Arief said.
He added that the government would also establish more Sustainable Tourism Observatories (STOs) in seven locations, adding to the five existing STOs so far. The STOs monitor research and give recommendations to the local government on how to develop sustainable tourism.
The sustainable tourism program was a positive move for Indonesia, although it had yet to become the umbrella policy for general tourism development in the country, said Muhammad Baiquni, a tourism expert at Gadjah Mada University’s Center of Tourism Studies.
“The sustainable tourism concept could be a good balancer for Indonesia’s tourism, which still tends to be quantity oriented instead of quality oriented,” added Baiquni.
He, however, reminded the government to make sure that village tourism had a positive impact on society, culture and the environment, as well as putting local communities first so that sustainable tourism could be achieved.
“Are the villagers benefitting and sovereign on their own land? Does tourism in the villages make their environment and socioeconomic situation better? All of these must be assessed.”
Baiquni suggested that the government should focus on creating tourism villages that were of high standards and sustainable, rather than setting a specific target for homestays and villages.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Regulation No. 14/2016 stipulates that sustainable tourism should empower local communities, preserve culture and conserve the environment.
Valerina said the development of tourism villages would be focused around the 10 priority destinations, or 10 New Balis, adding that the development was a sustainable tourism model that suited Indonesia, which has 75,000 villages across the archipelago.
“There are many villages in Indonesia and a village is the smallest instrument where we can directly empower the community by developing its potential while preserving its culture and environment based on the sustainable tourism principle,” she said.
He added that the development of the homestays and villages could be funded by state-owned enterprises’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
Another financing option would be using low-interest rate loans from banks with long-term maturity so that local players can thrive, Arief said.
He added that the government would also establish more Sustainable Tourism Observatories (STOs) in seven locations, adding to the five existing STOs so far. The STOs monitor research and give recommendations to the local government on how to develop sustainable tourism.
The sustainable tourism program was a positive move for Indonesia, although it had yet to become the umbrella policy for general tourism development in the country, said Muhammad Baiquni, a tourism expert at Gadjah Mada University’s Center of Tourism Studies.
“The sustainable tourism concept could be a good balancer for Indonesia’s tourism, which still tends to be quantity oriented instead of quality oriented,” added Baiquni.
He, however, reminded the government to make sure that village tourism had a positive impact on society, culture and the environment, as well as putting local communities first so that sustainable tourism could be achieved.
“Are the villagers benefitting and sovereign on their own land? Does tourism in the villages make their environment and socioeconomic situation better? All of these must be assessed.”
Baiquni suggested that the government should focus on creating tourism villages that were of high standards and sustainable, rather than setting a specific target for homestays and villages.
Source - TheJakartaPost
