Eco-tourism expands as Bali gets back to nature

Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

The eco-tourism industry is on the steady increase in Bali, with many living around or near beaches, hilly areas, paddy fields or forests conserving and managing their land for tourists, coordinator of the Bali Ecotourism Study Group, AA Gde Raka Dalem, says.

Raka is working with a team from Udayana University, to collect data on eco-tourism in Bali. He said the growth was sparked by an aggressive movement to "get back to nature", including how to behave in an environmentally friendly manner.

"It's in line with the rising concern over various issues like gas emissions and global warming and has also been affected by the rising environmental awareness among visiting tourists," he said over the weekend.

Initially it was only tourists from developed countries who were interested in eco-tourism projects.

Based on his own observations, Raka said, an increasing number of tourists from Asia, had displayed a greater interest in eco-tourism.

Data from Culture and Tourism Ministry showed in 1998 the global tourism industry was dominated by Europeans with some 384 million (60.3 percent of the total) visits. European tourists also showed the highest growth rate at 8.1 percent per year between 1980 and 1998.

By the year 2010, the number of global tourist visits is projected to grow by 4.1 percent per annum to 1 billion.

At the national level, foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia between 2005 and 2009 were projected to reach 10 million per annum, with spending amounting to $10 billion.

In 1996, Raka said, various representatives of the Indonesian tourist industry gathered in Bali to discuss the growing eco-tourism market. They later agreed to establish an Indonesian eco-tourism community.

The group set down eco-tourism's guiding principles, which are being continually developed and revised.

Initially, Raka Dalem said, the eco-tourism concept was translated to mean a tourism business which involved the participation of the community.

The understanding later evolved to incorporate three major pillars -- economy, community involvement and ecological conservation.

In Bali, he said, the concept would be easily implemented due to the existence of traditional wisdom, Tri Hita Karana, which dictates Balinese maintain harmony among Man, God and Nature.

Raka said Bali offers a complete set of eco-tourism projects.

"Including beaches, agricultural farms, forests and hilly areas," he said.

Sambangan area in Buleleng regency, for example, offers packages inviting travellers a glimpse of the agricultural lifestyle, forest walks and waterfall tours.

"Now a new attraction is offered, which we call spiritual tourism, meditation at the above-mentioned waterfall areas," he said.

Tenganan in Karangasem regency, Raka said, also offers unique culture and natural beauty. Locals are known for their skillfully hand-woven cloth.

Tenganan has also a collection of a wide variety of endangered plants and including kluwek, and various colorful butterflies.

"Packages featuring bird watching in a mangrove habitat in Nusa Dua and monkey watching in Alas Kedaton, Sangeh and Ubud, are some examples eco-tourism in Bali," Raka said.

The eco-tourism projects are managed by the government or tourism offices and also by the community itself in cooperation with investors. Jro Gede Karang T Suarsana, for example, is one investors who is focussing on the development of rural tourism in his own village, Tembuku, in Bangli regency.

Tembuku offers trekking through rice paddies, sweet potato and corn fields. In a number of areas tourists can see goats and cows grazing freely and in other locations they see irrigation facilities with clean water.

Upon entering the village, visitors may wish to meet the locals, learn traditional dance, music or how to make utensils for religious offerings.