The Project

The travel industry is growing at a rapid pace as transportation becomes cheaper and easier, and the idea of traveling becomes more main stream. However, concern is also rising over the diverse effects of tourism, as well as its sustainability. As a tourism graduate student, I've been learning about the idea of “responsible tourism,” which aims to manage tourism to reduce negative impacts and encourage positive effects. As an avid traveler and someone who is curious about the changing nature of tourism, I decided to structure my next trip around the topic of responsible travel. I felt a blog might be a good way to share my experience with other travelers, and vicarious travelers. So, enjoy :)

During my trip, I’ll be visiting places and meeting people that seem to be demonstrating responsible travel characteristics. Another goal is to speak with people I meet, locals, tour operators, guides, guest house owners, and other travelers on their knowledge and views of “travel,” “sustainability,” and general thoughts on tourism. I’m also going to try and be more conscientious of my own effects while travelling. Let me be clear, I am by no means an expert in these areas, and I acknowledge language will probably be a barrier. This is just my personal account of trying to learn more about Indonesia, the idea of responsible travel, and the travel industry in general.

What Would Like to Know?

After a long cold winter of working in Taiwan, I decided it was time to take a holiday. The volcanic islands of Indonesia have always fascinated me, so I decided my trip would consist of exploring the island of Java for one month and the smaller islands of Bali, Lombok, and possibly Flores during a second month.

Just to give everyone some background …

My name is Sarah. I’m 25, and American by birth. I have a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Marketing, and I’m currently enrolled in a Masters program from the ICRT on Responsible Tourism. Lately, I’ve been working as an English teacher in Taipei, but my goal is to find employment that doesn’t involve 7yr olds. While my travel experience is mainly limited to Asia, I have enjoyed the opportunity to explore mainland South and Southeast Asia.

You may ask, “What’s with the Durian picture?” For those of you who are unfamiliar, the spiky Durian fruit is only found in SEA, and is a popular product of farms in Indonesia. While NYC is called the “Big Apple,” Jakarta is affectionately termed “the Big Durian.” It might be slightly odiferous, but also unique, and with hordes of devoted fans (er, who all seem to have websites, see www.durianpalace.com). Anyway, it seemed like a good name for this project.

This will be my first trip to Indonesia.

“I am a traveler, you are a visitor, they are tourists …”

The 2006 UNWTO World Tourism Barometer placed the number of international tourists at a staggering 842 million. This number is projected to reach over 1.56 billion by the year 2020. While 80% of international tourists still come from only 20 countries (17 European, USA, Canada, and Japan), domestic tourism is rising and usually accounts for 4-5 times the number of international tourists. Again, it varies for each country. In India the number of domestic tourists is ten times that of international tourists, and the totals for both are on the rise. It’s no wonder there are concerns about the effects of tourism with this many people traveling.

The notion of responsible tourism is that the continued growth of tourism requires all stake holders (tourists, those in the travel industry, governments, communities, etc.) to take responsibility to manage tourism so that the positive effects are increased and the negative effects diminished. The second part of this idea is that mass tourism can change to be more beneficial. The ultimate goal is to make tourism more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable. It’s fair to question whether this goal can be achieved, or even what additional harmful effects are caused by good hearted efforts to change tourism.

(An advertisement run by www.responsibletourism.com in The London Evening Standard)

Research into Indonesia’s Tourism Industry …

Lying on the equator makes the climate of Indonesia idyllic for visitors who want “fun in the sun.” Bali in particular has long been a prime destination for those seeking recreational holidays. Besides its natural beauty, other promoted qualities of Indonesia include distinctive cultural assets, archaeological objects, and historical sites, like the World Heritage temple complexes of Borobudur and Prambanan. Not to be forgotten, impressive volcanoes such as Mount Bromo also bring in visitors from around the globe. (See below image from Britannica.com)

From Indonesia’s department for culture and tourism I discovered a booklet with tourism stats from 2006. The number of international visitors that year was around 4.8 million, a decline of 2.6% from 2005. Each visit was around 9 days in length and the average amount spent was $100 per day. I wish I could be investing $100 a day into the Indonesian economy, but unfortunately traveling as a student my budget will be considerably more limited. For backpackers the average daily spend is closer to $10-20 per day. Overall, tourist contribution to foreign exchange for 2006 was estimated at $4.4 billion, again a decline from 2005.

The top visitors to Indonesia are all from Asian countries:

1. 1.) Singapore
2. 2.) Malaysia
3. 3.) Japan
4. 4.) Taiwan
5. 5.) South Korea

After that comes Australia, the UK, and then the US.

Males are the primary visitors at 65%, with the majority being from 35-44 in age. It’s good to take into consideration these numbers do include travel for business, which makes up 38% of the visitors. However, the main reason for visiting is still to take a holiday, or 56% of the visitors. And, in 2006 only 5% of those travelling were, like me, a student.

I also discovered tourism rules involving visas have changed, so most visas on arrival are now for only 30 days, not the previous 60 days, and you need to show proof of sufficient funds and a return/onward ticket. If you take the time to get a visa from an embassy in advance you can usually get longer visas, depending on the place. It’s thought that these policies have contributed to the diminishing tourism business. My plan is to try and get a 60 day tourist visa in advance from the embassy.

Here's a video someone put on Youtube of Indonesia ...

Tourism (Continued)

Tourism was a peak industry for Indonesia from 1990 to 1996, but recent factors have caused a decrease in tourist numbers. Security issues from religious and ethnic disputes, like the Bali Others have been economic decline attributed to effects from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, natural disasters like the 2004 Tsunami, and epidemics like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and avian influenza (bird flu). Many advocates for Indonesia keep emphasizing that most of these concerns are without merit or only effect limited outlying regions. bombings is one contributing factor.

This year, the Indonesia tourism board launched the “Visit Indonesia 2008” campaign in hopes of attracting more visitors.

The tourism department also has a blog: http://www.tourismindonesia.com/

From my reading, I’ve been learning much about the virtues of tourism and the drawbacks. Frankly, I’m not sure exactly how beneficial tourism is but I believe the answer lies somewhere between these two extremes …

South Africa’s WHITE PAPER on Tourism (Positive)



Benefits of Tourism?????




Does tourism benefit the Third World (Negative)

Seriously, you should check out these websites. It’s crazy how much of a difference there is between South Africa’s White Paper on tourism, which discusses the potential benefits for SA of adopting responsible tourism, and the brutal criticism of responsible tourism as debated by a member of the Bangkok based Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team.

“Pessimism of Intellect, Optimism of the Will.”

Below you’ll find the specific characteristics of Responsible Tourism, as presented by the Cape Town Declaration.

Having the following characteristics, Responsible Tourism:

1. minimizes negative economic, environmental, and social impacts;

2. generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the wellbeing of host communities, improves working conditions and access to the industry;

3. involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;

4. makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the world's diversity;

5. provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;

6. provides access for physically challenged people; and

7. is culturally sensitive, engenders respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence.

The root of the current “Responsible Tourism” movement has its origins from the UN. However, the base idea of “balance” is an ancient concept. I recently read an interview with I Gede Ardika, Indonesia’s former Minister of Culture and Tourism, in the article she mentions how the Balinese have long encouraged “Tri Hita Karana.” That translates as “the three causes of welfare and security,” and advocates balance of life. The idea is that a person needs a harmonious balanced relationship with God, with fellow human beings, and with the environment. As she explained, “We aim to develop tourism in a manner that is economically viable, socio-culturally acceptable and environmentally sustainable.”

With this rather large challenge I’ve set myself of trying to minimize my effects while traveling I created a few general principles to follow.

General Principles for Traveling:

• Friendliness is Important – simple things like smiling and asking questions, produce a better experience for both travelers and communities.
• Buy local – local foods and drinks, accommodations, transport, and general products
• Generosity of spirit – not bargaining too hard; when making purchasing decisions use other factors than just the financial bottom line, and tipping may not be expected but it is always appreciated.
• Travel with awareness – observe, reflect, and learn from travel experiences, and conserve natural resources.
• Be respectful - observe local customs, especially in dress, and learn language basics

RT Terms

Now, there are many different terms I’ve come across when reading about improving travel, so here is my attempt to make sense of the jargon:

Agrotourism = tourism that focuses on learning about the agricultural life of a people.

Community Based Tourism (CBT) = tourism that focuses on learning about the local way of life of a people and usually involves interacting with members of the community.

Cultural Tourism = tourism that focuses on observing the customs, traditions, heritage, way of life and history of a people.

Ecocultural Tourism = tourism that focuses on learning about the culture of a people and their relation with the environment

Ecotourism = tourism that is ecologically sound.

Fair-trade Tourism = tourism that follows the principles of fair-trade, which is purchasing items that are benefiting local communities more fairly than other products. Different types of tourism, like cultural tourism, can be made fair-trade.

Geotourism - Tourism that focuses on keeping the unique character and appeal of a place.

Heritage tourism = tourism that focuses on learning about the heritage of a place.

Pro-Poor Tourism = tourism that focuses on spreading the economic benefits of tourism so that poverty is reduced. Different types of tourism, like cultural tourism, can be made pro-poor.

Reality Tours = Tourism that focuses on important social, economic, political and environmental issues.

Responsible (and Conscientious/ Ethical/ Positive) Tourism = Different ways to say basically the same thing, but the term “responsible tourism” is the one most used. It is tourism that focuses on maximizing the positive effects produced by travel and minimizing the negative. Different types of tourism, like cultural tourism, can be made responsible.

Rural Tourism = Tourism that focuses on going to a rural setting to participate in rural activities.

Sustainable Tourism = Tourism that manages a place’s resources and assets so they are not spoiled. Different types of tourism, like cultural tourism, can be made more sustainable. However, at this time we do not have the capabilities to truly make tourism sustainable.

Voluntourism = Tourism that focuses on “trying” to help a community and improve other people’s lives.

… and I’m sure in the following years this list will grow even longer!

Interesting Facts about Indonesia

Before leaving, I’m also taking the time to do some research on the places I’ll be visiting. Last time I followed the “grab the guidebook, and go!” approach, which left me feeling foolish way too often during conversations with locals and other travelers. This time I’m making full use of the internet to research my destination. So, here is just some of the interesting information I found out about Indonesia.

My first searches were to learn about general country information and about Indonesia’s past and present. Indonesia consists of over 17,000 islands straddling the equator, with approximately 3000 of these islands being inhabited. I was surprised to find of these 3,000 islands, Java and Sumatra are home to nearly 80% of Indonesia’s population. I also read about the now defunct transmigrasi policy, the aim being to move people from populated islands like Java to less populated islands like Papua. The height of this forced migration occurred from 1984-1989 when over 2.5 million people were moved, mostly urban poor and landless peasants. As you can guess, this policy greatly changed the cultural makeup of remote islands, and tensions resulted from this “javanisation.” Current policies including family planning programs and a national campaign, “Two Children is Enough,” are the new methods being used to combat population growth. Though population growth has dropped, the total is still around 234 million making it the 4th most populated nation, and largest Muslim population in the world.

Indonesia’s history is long and varied, with human presence first occurring around 1 million BC when Java Man walked over the land bridge connecting Australia and Asia. While Java Man became extinct, other immigrants arrived from Southeast Asia to populate the archipelagos. Another interesting piece of Indonesia’s evolutionary history is the presence of “the hobbits.” The Manggarai inhabits of Flores told stories of little people, covered with hair, who roamed the jungles. Then, in 2003, and later in 2005, archeologists started to find skeletons of little people only about 1m high, with gangly arms and the worn down teeth of adults. This race of small humanoids was thought to have inhabited the jungles as recently as 12,000 yrs ago, until they were wiped out by a volcanic eruption. So scientists think ;)

“Artist's impression of how the hobbit may have interacted with Homo sapiens”

Image: Kevin Stead

Indonesia's Early History

Next, I started investigating Indonesia’s early history. As civilization developed, small kingdoms were established and traders from other Asian countries brought Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam to the country. Already, the islands were a stop on the Middle East to Far East trading route. Around the 16^th century AD, European traders discovered the islands. The Portuguese were the first to enter the spice trade, but then came the Dutch to compete for goods and influence in the country. The spice trade was an influential activity for Europe, and encouraged world exploration to find new ways to Asia. The Dutch traders eventually monopolized the spice trade in Indonesia, thus making Amsterdam an extremely important trading hub for all of Europe. The Dutch VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indishe Compagnie/ United East India Company) quickly evolved from trading partners into colonial dominators. The company, however, went broke from the high cost of being a colonial dominator, both suppressing uprisings and armed conflicts with other traders. Its assets were seized by the Dutch government, which is how the Indonesian islands became part of the Dutch colonial empire. Some of Indonesia’s people still speak Dutch, but it is an older dialect, so for English speakers it would be like visiting a place where locals still speak colonial English.

At the start of the 1800s the Netherlands was also on the brink of bankruptcy. To make quick profits for the homeland, the controllers in Indonesia began to exploit the natural resources of the country. Indigo, sugar, and rubber were in high demand in Europe, so large government plantations, run using the forced-labor of Javanese peasants, started operating and producing large profits for the Dutch. With agricultural production focused on these areas, and not on the mainstay of rice, famine and epidemic soon followed. As profits grew, so did the influence of the Dutch in other islands in Indonesia. During the early 20^th century new “ethical” policies were implemented in Indonesia to improve health, education, and increase local industry, but the results were mixed.

Indonesia did not sink easily into colonial submission and throughout colonial rule various wars and upheavals tested the supremacy of the Dutch administration. The initial rebellions usually took place in specific regions, like Aceh in North Sumatra, and were not a unified country effort. With the spread of ideas like “nationalism” more cohesive movements started by groups like Sarekat Islam (an Islamic anti-colonial organization), PKI (the Indonesian Communist Party), and eventually the very successful PNI (an Indonesian nationalist party led by Soekarno), which helped unify the nation in its fight for independence. It’s said the Japanese occupation during WWII ingrained a military psyche into the people of Indonesia. After the Japanese left and the Dutch returned, Indonesians were now inclined to wage a bloody war for their independence. Indonesian militant groups habitually used guerilla attacks when fighting against the Dutch. This conflict for Independence continued until Dec. 27, 1949, when the Dutch negotiated for peace. Power was given back to the Indonesian people in a ceremony at the Freedom Palace in Jakarta. While Indonesians united to achieve independence, the diversity of cultures, religions, traditions, and customs made keeping this unity difficult, especially among the remote and pro-separatist islands of Papua (AKA Irian Jaya) and Timor.

(Dutch Imperialism in Indonesia)

Modern Times

Indonesia is currently celebrating its 62nd year of being a nation. Indonesians recognize their independence from the Dutch starting on Aug 17, 1945, when Soekarno proclaimed independence for Indonesia. Indonesia’s modern history after Independence is particularly relevant since the trends and policies set during this time period have shaped present day Indonesia and its people.

After independence in 1949 Indonesia faced a variety of problems, ranging from intangible issues like inflation, corruption, and religious dissent, to problems caused by physical damage from the war for independence. Islamic groups, the Communist Party, and the army each worked to achieve their own agendas, further dividing the nation. An unstable, and often changing, parliamentary style democracy operated in Indonesia until President Soekarno, head of the main PKI party, rearranged the political system to focus more power in the hands of the president, his hands.

More years of instability persisted in Indonesia, with attempted coups, purges, and the eventual seizing of power in 1968 by the recently deceased Soeharto. Enforced political stability did occur during Soeharto’s rule, but this was largely due to decreases in political freedoms that were backed up by military force. While Soekarno was unsympathetic to Western economic power, Soeharto instituted what he called “The New Order.” With open arms Soeharto welcomed foreign investment and privatization of natural resources. By 1996, the Gross Domestic Product grew to US$200 billion and those living in absolute poverty were now just 16% of the population, compared to 40% twenty years earlier. Profits from oil substantially contributed to this upturn in economy. While poverty decreased, disparity of wealth dramatically increased, coincidentally so did corruption. Soeharto’s reign also included many dark chapters in human rights abuse and misuse of power.

The 1997 Asian currency crisis devastated Indonesia. Banks folded, millions became unemployed, and debt/inflation swelled. Much of the loans Indonesia took out during the Soeharto rein were not well spent, which has left the country suffering from a crippling international debt to organizations like the IMF (International Monetary Fund), and little to show for the money. Amid riots, and bloodshed, Soeharto was forced to step down in May 1998, thus ending his 32 year rule (see a video of the riots below).

Bhineka Tunggal Ika – “Unity in Diversity” - the national slogan of Indonesia

I’m looking forward to experiencing present day Indonesia, though as an outsider who will only be visiting 3 or 4 islands I really will only be seeing a tiny bit of the contrasts and variety of the archipelago.

The volcanic origins of Indonesia have added to its diversity, producing some islands very rich in fertile soil and others with large resources of oil and natural gas. The look and character of the islands are distinct, as are the culture heritage of the people who inhabit them. Lying on the ancient trading route between the Middle East and Far East added even more variety to Indonesia. The art and culture of Indonesians often show influences of Arabic, Malay, Indian, Chinese, and European sources. Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam were introduced and then blended with traditional practices. Regional differences have sometimes led to conflict with the Java-centered national government, so after Soeharto’s reign a process of decentralization took place moving more power to district governments. While a good equilibrium has yet to be reached, the country is working hard to keep a unified national identity.

Indonesia is thought to have well over 300 different ethnic groups, most with their own regional language and dialect, but “Bahasa Indonesia” is the official language. From what I’ve read, the Javanese (originally from Eastern and Central Java) are the largest and most dominant ethnic group with 45% of the population. Because of transmigration the Javanese can be found all throughout Indonesia. The majority of Javanese are Muslim. Another interesting characteristic is that the Javanese often have just a single name, like Soekarno and Soeharto, instead of a family name and a given name. The second largest group is the Sudanese (originally of West Java) with around 15% of the population. The Madurese, from the island of Madura that neighbors Java, makes up 7.5%. All the other islands make up just 26% of the population.

Indonesia’s first president, Soekarno, worked to unite Indonesians around 5 main principles called the Pancasila. Each principle was given a symbol, and can be found all over Indonesia on the country’s national symbol the garuda bird, from Buddhist and Hindu mythology the bird is known for its power and intelligence. A star represents a unified faith in God. A chain represents a unified feeling of humanity in Indonesia and its links with humankind elsewhere. A Banyan tree represents nationalism and encourages unity among all ethnic groups. A buffalo represents the unified government. Finally, the rice and cotton represent unified social justice.

I’ve also been reading up on some general customs and manners for visiting Indonesia, though again it does vary from place to place. Like many other places in Asia, public displays of attention between members of the same sex is discouraged, but holding hands with members of the same sex is fine and demonstrates friendship. Dress should be modest, even at beaches. Aggressiveness is particularly frowned on, except for the required push and shove to get on buses, and time is often describe as “rubber.”

If you're interested in other links related to Indonesia, check out ...

Information on Indonesia:

http://www.indonesialogue.com - online travel guide
http://indahnesia.com – online travel guide
http://www.planetmole.org – provides a range of articles on Indonesia
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Indonesia - Discuses environmental issues Indonesia is facing
http://greenindonesia.net/archives/58 - A succinct article on problems Indonesia is currently facing
http://www.equinoxpublishing.com/natguide/default.htm - The Natural Guide book to Bali.

Tourism Sites:
http://www.tourismindonesia.com - a blog by Indonesia’s National Tourist Organization
http://www.my-indonesia.info - Official Tourism website by Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Indonesian Ecotourism and Environmental Sites:
http://www.ekowisata.org - ecotourism organization that offers tours
http://www.indecon.or.id - ecotourism organization that offers tours
http://greenindonesia.net - a “green” themed blog
http://www.binaswadaya.org - One of the oldest nonprofits in Indonesia, operates Bina Swadaya Tours.

Responsible Tourism Sites:
www.wildasia.net – an excellent organization promoting sustainable tourism and development in SEA
www.responsibletravel.com – a site offering responsible travel tours worldwide
http://www.whl.travel - a site offering hotels worldwide, while giving extra emphasis to the importance of sustainable tourism
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/about_geotourism.html - National Geographic center for Sustainable Destinations
www.asianencounters.org – Lists homestays in Asia and
www.icrtourism.org – International research center for responsible tourism

And who would I be without a plug for my favorite photographer - Check out some truly outstanding travel photography at: www.charlesmeacham.com