Black orchid could lure tourists back to Poso

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post/Poso

While it is remains troubled by religious conflicts, the regency of Poso is one of the few in Central Sulawesi province with a great potential for tourism.

Besides having the beautiful and unspoiled Tentena Lake, the regency is also home to the Lore and Megalith national parks and the beautiful Natural Orchid Park in Bancea, South Pamona, some 80 kilometers south of Poso city.

At least 55 types of rare orchids grow in the 5,000 hectare area, one of the most attractive and sought-after being the black orchid, which only blooms between October and December each year.

Mardison Ba'u, a local resident, said that the black orchid was not only beautiful, but also valued for its medicinal properties, especially its ability to help cure wounds.

The park can be reached from Poso in a one and a-half hour drive to Tentena, a small island on the tip of Lake Poso. A boat ride to the town of Bancea takes another 15 minutes.

At the right time of year it is easy to see the black orchid on the trip, which grows wild in nature. But its wise to beware of the local prohibition which forbids locals and visitors alike from taking the flowers out of the area, a move designed to help bring visitors back to the spot.

Before the widespread sectarian conflict broke out in Poso regency in 2000, the combination of the scenery and the orchids attracted between 20 and 35 foreign tourists a year, the Poso Tourism Office says. However, few if any foreign tourists are known to have visited the area since.

As the region slowly returns to normalcy, the Poso government is attempting to entice tourists back, with one initiative being the One Million Orchid Movement, a beautification program designed to encourage the planting of a million orchids in the area.

"Through this movement, the government has encouraged people to grow orchids, notably the black one, in their respective homes," Poso acting regent Andi Azikin Suyuti said.

The prettier the area was, the more people would visit and the orchids could provide much needed revenue for the locals, Andi said.

"Foreign tourists will be happy when they see more orchids here, while at the same time the residents can sell them the orchids as it is prohibited to take them from the wild," Andi said.