Wanted: Trendsetters to put ecotourism on the map

Wanted: Trendsetters to put ecotourism on the map

By Grace Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Ever since he was a director general of tourism,
current Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gede Ardika has been a
passionate advocate of the importance of maintaining a respect
for God and the environment in developing the country's tourism.

Early in his term as minister, he advocated the concept of
"community-based tourism", in which a bottom-up approach is used.
Instead of only waiting for instructions from the top, as it used
to be, local resources are empowered to be more proactive.

Operationally, he envisaged such things as the creation of
tourism villages and partnership programs between star-rated
hotels and traditional lodgings, or between tour operators and
local suppliers. In actual fact, he also saw money, especially if
Indonesia was able to develop ecotourism.

The term ecotourism first surfaced in the early 1980s,
reflecting a surge in environmental awareness and a realization
by tour operators that many travelers wanted to believe their
presence abroad would not have a negative impact on the
environment. It has since become a hot marketing tag for tour
operators and others in the industry.

According to the World Tourism Council, ecotourism is worth
US$20 billion a year and makes up about one-fifth of all
international tourism. The annual growth is around 5 percent
(other tourism organizations put the figure at as much as 15
percent). Many tour operators and travel agents around the world
-- especially in Europe and the U.S. -- try hard to market
"green" holidays.

Consumers are bombarded with brochures inviting them to see
the wildlife while helping to protect it; to meet the local
people and save their culture; stay in traditionally built
accommodations and preserve the fragile environment. The problem
for consumers is choosing a credible tour operator from the horde
touting their products as "ecofriendly".

On the other hand, many ecotourism societies (and also the
tourist industry) in the "receiving" countries are not fully
aware of the potential of ecotourism. In Indonesia, many
ecotourism foundations and organizations, even operators, are
struggling just to make ends meet.

Halimun

An example of this is to be found at the ecotourism site of
Mount Halimun, located on the border of West Java province and
the newly designated Banten province. Mount Halimun National Park
can be said to be off the beaten track; even Tony and Jane
Whitten, authors of Wild Indonesia, describe the 400-square-
kilometer Mount Halimun as the best and most complete forest area
in Java. It is home to hundreds of birds, primates and other
mammals.

It is enriched by a beautiful panorama of natural forest and
the Nirmala tea plantation in the center of the park. It was
bolstered in 1998 when the government of Japan built a canopy
trail in the eastern part of Halimun as a token of friendship.
Walking along this canopy trail, 20 meters above the ground, is a
truly thrilling experience. The imagination can run wild with
visions of Tarzan, friend of the apes, watching from the tops of
the trees for any possible threats below.

An ecolodge funded by USAID was built in 1995, about 1.5
kilometers from the canopy trail. It is a community-based
enterprise which can be reached through the tea plantation's main
road or via the research loop trail. The lodge has five rooms,
consisting of three twin-bed rooms and two double-bed rooms. It
is clean and the housekeeping is quite professional.

Some locals were "trained" at a renowned backpacker hotel in
Bogor for 10 months before they were eligible to operate the
lodge. Prices range from between Rp 45,000 and 60,000 per room.
The lodge's menus for lunch and dinner is either fried or grilled
fish, purchased from neighbors who have fish ponds in their
backyards. Near the ecolodge a spot for camping is provided,
complete with tent rentals. At night, people who want to meditate
can find bliss here, as the rhythm of the rain forest can be
heard in the tranquil night. It truly is a hidden paradise.

At a glance, everything seems perfect, at least the product
does. But this is not the case for accessibility and brand image.
Not many people know where Halimun is. Every inbound operator, at
least in Java, knows where Ujung Kulon is, but not so with
Halimun. Even the director of one of the country's oldest and
biggest inbound tour operators was unsure as to the whereabouts
of Halimun when asked. Star-rated hotels in the nearby cities of
Bogor and Sukabumi have not yet included Halimun as a supporting
product in selling their hotels. One reason is probably that the
road to the national park from Sukabumi is very poor.

Purwanto, from the Bogor-based Halimun Ecotourism Foundation,
said his group had done everything it could think of to let
people know about Halimun.

"We have invited operators from Australia and Jakarta, but it
is still difficult to get people to come here. Of course, we do
not want to produce a tourism boom here. But, at least, to have
tourists who can bring some advantages to Halimun and its
community. Nowadays, most of the tourists are brought by
freelance guides from Bogor."

He said the country could learn from the example of its
neighbors.

"Actually, we want to do more both in terms of marketing and
developing human resources. We want to learn from Sabah in
Malaysia (which is presently recognized as one of the best
ecotourism sites in Southeast Asia). But because there is quite a
high fee to train there, we cannot afford it."

One possible solution to deal with a case like Halimun is
first to make ecotourism a lifestyle, something to be regarded as
important by society in general. Indonesia could learn from David
Mann Tin-Lung, recipient of the Travel Asia Breakthrough Award
2000 as Asian personality of the year in developing ecotourism.

David Mann of Hong Kong believes that travel agents, non-
governmental organizations, airlines, tourism ministries, hotels,
academics and the media must unite to prevent mass tourism from
degrading the environment. In an interview with Travel Asia,
David Mann urged Asian to "think eco".

"That means ecology, it means eco-tourism and it means
economic profit," he said.

Being a leader in Hong Kong of the Eco-Tourism Awareness
Group, he has tried many creative ways to promote ecotourism as a
Hong Kong lifestyle. One of them is organizing imaginative and
effective competitions among thousands of high school students.

Three years ago, teenagers from scores of high schools in Hong
Kong took part in an ecocompetition as part of a computer
project. Each contestant had to complete a schedule that would
guide visitors around Hong Kong's threatened natural treasures.
David Mann took 60 of the finalists out on a vessel to watch the
rare pink dolphins off the Pearl River estuary, while tourism
experts judged their entries. The eight winners were awarded an
ecotour of Queensland, which included ballooning, diving and
white-water rafting. He has held similar campaigns with trips to
New Zealand for the winners.

Indonesia can think of other creative ways to build such
awareness, especially since it is so rich in ecotourism sites.
Perhaps an econetwork and ecomailing list could first be
introduced to, at least, the Indonesia tourist industry. But one
thing is for sure; the old adage "bersatu kita teguh, bercerai
kita runtuh" (united we are strong, divided we fall) still
applies. There is no chance of success if everybody does things
separately. Well, anybody willing to be a leader and start a new
trend?