Ecotourism - Balancing business with conservation
Creating local enterprise and conserving forests and culture.
Kalimantan Tourism Development promotes Ecotourism in Central Kalimantan as a way of protecting the forest and promoting the growth of local community based businesses.
Central Kalimantan remains undeveloped, yet offers a wealth of natural and cultural attractions for the adventurous.
This will be achieved by
- Developing a eco-boat hotel to take tourists into the heart of the jungle.
- Establishment of community tourist business groups to service visitors and generate income.
- Creating tours with WWF that provide a glimpse into the life of wild orang-utans.
- Build the Capacity of local government to promote, market and service the fledgling community based ecotourism industry.
- Creating networks with related business, government and NGO’s to implement the above and share the learning, replicate the model and develop a consultancy business to spread the overall impact.
The Business
Opportunity to develop the infrastructure, marketing and service the ecotourism industry in an untapped destination. The main infrastructure will include a hotel and revitalising a historic riverside port and building.
A hotel boat is an effective development tool to attract more tourist interest in Central Kalimantan. Currently there is not the infrastructure to cater to the needs of the more discerning tourists. There are few roads to remote jungle areas and clean guest houses almost non -existence. A boat hotel brings guests to the doorstep of beautiful jungle attractions without disturubing the natural environment whilst enjoying the comfort and relaxing pace of riverside travel. They provide access to tourist interests, including orang-utan ecotour, jungle trekking, betangs or longhouses, cultural village life tours, scenic river, agro tourism sites, handicraft home industries and other specialised niche interests, such as orchids, birds, fishing, gems and jungle cures.
Currently we are already receiving guests through WWF Netherlands and through the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) network. We will invite travel magazines to write articles on our trips and our community work. KTD will work with one dedicated reliable on-line agent (based in Jakarta with office in Bali) who will handle all online enquiries and close sales on-line and make direct sales. Other agents will be endorsed to make sales, both within Indonesia and internationally, on a generous commission basis. Additional marketing strategies include developing an effective website, which will be actively maintained, renewed and upgraded, as well as providing pre-sale and post-sale information
Other strategies include regular attendance at appropriate local and international travel trade fairs, regular follow up of all contacts, magazine and newspaper advertising to create brand-awareness, and direct people to the sales agency and website. Local marketing will be by billboards and banners at strategic road side positions, grand opening events, and newspaper advertising.
In Central Kalimantan itself there are no competitors offering the same boat hotel service, although in the Tanjung Puting area there are small houseboats which are suitable for the hardier traveler. There are boat hotels in the East Kalimantan on the Mahakam river, which are less attractive and more expensive. Indonesia itself has many beautiful places and in Sabah Borneo there is already a well established tourism industry.
Our business proposition is one of the few that offer a high quality boat hotel, with western management and a community and environmental based approach. Through out the world the fascination with boats and river trips prove to have a strong appeal.
Development
Impact on indirect employment —Boat River trip travels down the Katingan river to the newly established Sebangau National Park. KTD is working with WWF (World WildLife Foundation) to establish Enterprise Development using workshops, technical assistance, and soft-loans. We work with parks, communities, government and NGOs to launch and nurture ecotourism enterprises that support conservation. Indirect employment of up to 200 families could be reached in the first two years. This would provide an alternative income to high impact fishing, logging, and other harmful activities. The quality of living standards would increase with the creation of sustainable livelihoods through the protection of their environment, i.e. sustainable fishing, use of the forests through gathering non timber products.
Knowledge and skills- Ecotourism Promoter Training
Promoters are aspiring community leaders and entrepreneurs that are trained to create sustainable, locally owned micro-enterprises around protected areas. Through nearly a year of study and hands-on experience, the promoters learn the basics of tourism product development, enterprise management, and impact mitigation, with a special focus on working with rural communities.
Possible groups included —
ï?¶ local tour guides,
ï?¶ boats/canoe hire,
ï?¶ dancing troupe,
ï?¶ Dayak martial arts used in wedding/welcoming ceremony
ï?¶ singing/musical instruments group,
ï?¶ story-telling
ï?¶ fishing and agro-tourism groups.
ï?¶ Preparation for home-stays
ï?¶ Warungs, eating places
ï?¶ Traditional massage
Expected future benefits; short term
 Operational eco-boat coming to the Sebangau area by mid-2006 and bringing tourist trade to recently established tourist local business groups.
 Integrated strategic programme to include training design delivery and implementation at all levels from community to provincial government.
- Results biodiversity conservation and long term benefits
 Working with local government in developing and promoting the potential that eco-tourism can bring through income generation, revitalizing cultural traditions and protecting the natural environment.
 Generating new sources of income for National Sebangau Park to be funneled back into conservation projects.