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 ...