Destinasea

The Indonesian archipelago is one of the most in demand marine tourism locations, attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. One of these destinations is Wakatobi National Park, a dive site known for its diverse marine habitats. Diving and snorkeling enthusiasts always look forward to visiting Wakatobi and its unique natural beauty. The dive sites are within the National Park, this protected pristine beauty has made it an icon for marine tourism, a destination that cannot be underestimated by the world.

Wakatobi Dive Trip was founded in 2009, with the legal company name of PT Putri Selam Wakatobi domiciled in Wangi Wangi. With the concept of community-based ecotourism, Wakatobi Dive Trip involves partners such as hotels, homestays and other local entrepreneurs.

Wakatobi Dive Trip is a dive operator company that has a mission to not only provide the best service but also become a company that focuses on environmental conservation and become a sustainable tourism player. As stated by Seto Ariyadi, Director and Founder of Wakatobi Dive Trip, “Our activities involve living natural resources, one of which is diving to enjoy the beautiful coral reefs. We want to be an environmentally friendly dive operator company because natural beauty is an asset that must be preserved.”

Various activities provided by Wakatobi Dive Center include diving packages, snorkeling, dolphin watching tours, cultural trips, family gathering events, and many more. Transport from the airport to the hotel and food during the activity is also provided by Wakatobi Dive Center.

Food ingredients are obtained from locals in the freshest of conditions. The fish consumed is obtained from local fishermen who fish according to fishing standards, only catching fish that are fit for consumption and avoiding endangered fish species such as the Napoleon fish and parrotfish. Wakatobi Dive Center does not purchase fish obtained by illegal fishing practices.

In line with the vision and mission of Wakatobi Dive Center which is committed to environmental harmony in its role as a marine tourism operator, in 2017 the Wakatobi Dive Center joined Signing Blue. Signing Blue is a WWF-Indonesia program that has three pillars, namely aspects of the natural environment, socio-cultural aspects, and aspects of management effectiveness. The inclusion of the Signing Blue logo on its promotional media has helped Wakatobi Dive Center in promoting diving packages to foreign tourists and gaining recognition as an environmentally friendly company.

Since joining Signing Blue, Wakatobi Dive Center's programs and activities are guided by Signing Blue's guidelines for managing a sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism. Wakatobi Dive Center conducts coastal cleaning and encourages guests to participate in the program. Not only that, Wakatobi Dive Center invites guests to always be aware of environmental care during all activities, namely picking up trash if there is trash on the beach or when diving under the sea. To tackle plastic waste, Wakatobi Dive Center participated in the successful 'no single use plastic' program by providing refillable drinking water bottles and water dispensers as well as providing food in reusable packaging. 

Energy savings efforts were also carried out, namely planning trip routes to several tourist attractions so that they were both energy and time efficient. Wakatobi Dive Center office has an open space concept, reducing its need for lighting and there are signs to remind anyone to turn off the lights when not in use. Wakatobi Dive Center reminds guests to turn off any unnecessary appliances, including air conditioning and water taps when leaving the hotel for activities.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, guest arrivals along with the income they bring have reduced significantly. The Cleanliness Health Safety Environment Sustainability standard is currently a top priority for Wakatobi Dive Center staff. These include washing hands regularly, wearing masks during activities, and maintaining a social distance. Wakatobi Dive Center has been certified 'I Do Care' or CHSE issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) of the Republic of Indonesia. New Standard Operating Procedures have been established and must be followed by all staff and guests. The addition of hand washing basins, hand sanitizers, and signs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have been implemented. Guests are required to show a document of negative results from the PCR or Rapid Antigen test, check their temperature, wash hands, wear masks and maintain a social distance.

Wakatobi Dive Center advises guests to bring personal diving equipment during the Pandemic. The cleanliness procedure for the diving center’s equipment has also been updated and strictly followed, namely the equipment is cleaned using a disinfectant solution before and after their use. After drying, it is stored in a dry box to avoid dust or contamination from other unwanted substances.

Wakatobi Dive Center applies a strict health protocol during land travel as well, namely always wearing a mask and to maintain a good distance between passengers, one car can only be filled with three people. In diving activities, Wakatobi Dive Center briefs guests on the Code of Conduct, namely implementing environmentally friendly diving such as not touching coral reefs and making sure not to touch or move objects under the sea. Joining Signing Blue and implementing the CHSE set by the central government, gives tourists confidence and comfort in taking trips with Wakatobi Dive Center.  

Some of the things that Wakatobi Dive Center does is the 'Pay Now Trip Later' promotion, where prospective tourists can make deposits and run their vacation on another day. Wakatobi Dive Center also relies on technological innovations by making Virtual Tours. The future plan is to remain active in promotions on social media, exhibitions, and to remain an environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism operator.

The year 2021 has high hopes for the recovery of Indonesian tourism. Hope that tourism activities can gradually return to normal, allowing tourists to return to Wakatobi and enjoy marine tourism together with Wakatobi Dive Center.

With strict health protocols, Wakatobi is ready to accommodate foreign and domestic tourists. Enjoying the diverse beautiful underwater habitats, an exotic site to say the least, will surely help inspire people to strive for positive changes to conserve our planet.