blue-voices

Traveloka is again holding the Traveloka Market Update event related to the development of the Traveloka accommodation business and the digital ecosystem in the hospitality business. On the same occasion, Traveloka together with WWF-Indonesia introduced the Signing Blue Program to hotel partners and encouraged partners to implement business practices that support responsible and sustainable tourism.

John Safenson, Vice President of Market Management – Accommodation, Traveloka, said, “We hope that the Traveloka Market Update event can provide hotel partners with a comprehensive perspective on our business development and the current situation in the business industry, so that partners can determine business strategies in a timely manner. better in the future."

Traveloka Market Update this time is being held in Bali which is one of the tourist cities with the highest number of foreign tourists. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) for the Province of Bali noted that the number of foreign tourists in Bali in 2019 as of October reached 5,240,297 visitors, which makes Bali one of the vital areas for Traveloka's business development. Seeing this phenomenon, Traveloka sees the importance of encouraging hotel partners in Bali to utilize digital technology in developing tourism in Bali, especially for the accommodation business.

After officially announcing a strategic partnership with WWF-Indonesia at the end of last November, Traveloka is now strengthening its commitment by inviting WWF-Indonesia as a resource person to provide education regarding best practices to support environmental conservation, marine biodiversity, and empower local communities that can be carried out by hotel managers. in Bali.

Taking shelter in the Signing Blue Program, Traveloka and WWF-Indonesia encourage partners to enroll in this program to obtain comprehensive information and outreach from WWF-Indonesia in efforts to preserve tourism. Through the Signing Blue Program, partners will be provided with education that can be applied to improve their business practices in several aspects covering the environment, socio-economic and culture, as well as management effectiveness.

Regarding Traveloka's collaboration with WWF-Indonesia, John added, his party has seen that many hotel partners have started implementing sustainable business practices, for example by inviting consumers to pay more attention to the use of plastic, water use, minimizing the use of electrical energy and others.

"This is what underlies us in considering that the Signing Blue Program can be a place for partners to get full support in implementing responsible and sustainable business practices, which of course will provide added value to hotels. We are optimistic that collaboration from various parties in this simple movement will have a big impact on the progress of Indonesian tourism," he explained.

Dr. Imam Musthofa Zainuddin, Marine & Fisheries Director, WWF-Indonesia, explained that this program supports and encourages hotel partners in implementing responsible governance and business practices.

Signing Blue is a program initiated by WWF-Indonesia to realize responsible tourism, including marine tourism. As the first step of a strategic partnership with WWF-Indonesia, Traveloka has embedded the Signing Blue Program education with the aim of aligning and increasing the performance of Travelola hotel partners in the Bali area with environmental and natural sustainability. It is believed that natural preservation and a well-maintained environment will support the performance of the hotel business to continue to increase.

*See original article https://swa.co.id/swa/trends/wwf-dan-traveloka-dorong-mitra-gencarkan-pariwisata-berkeuntungan

As soon as he saw the plastic straw in the glass of juice that was served, Ida Bagus Sidhartha Putra immediately called his staff back. "How come you still use plastic straws? How ridiculous. We have replaced the paper ones," said the owner of the Griya Santrian Hotel, Sanur, Bali.
The staff immediately took the two juices off the table, and served them back with white and blue paper straws.

"Our problem is consistency. So we need strong leadership. At least in Bali," said Gus De, his nickname in mid-October. Gus De is not only the owner of Griya Santrian, one of the pioneering hotels in Sanur, Bali. He is also the Chairman of the Sanur Development Foundation (YPS), which oversees tourism actors in Sanur. Griya Santrian has other hotels such as Puri Santrian in Semawang and Royal Santrian in Tanjung Benoa, Badung. Gus De wants to show that tourism that applies the concept of sustainability both from a social, cultural and environmental perspective is actually more profitable. For example, using paper straws which are environmentally friendly compared to plastic straws.

Santrian Group has proven. Since its establishment 46 years ago, this hotel, which is right on the edge of Sanur Beach, emphasizes aspects of sustainability, including the environment. As soon as you enter the hotel area, the atmosphere feels more spacious and beautiful. It's not like cheap hotels (budget hotels) which increasingly fill other areas in Bali.
"We apply the concept in the basic building coefficient (building and land ratio), 40 percent. This means only 40 percent for buildings, 60 percent for supporters," said Gus De. Those supports, according to Gus De, include courtyards, gardens, ponds, and others.
In their newest and most expensive hotel, the Royal Santrian, the comparison between buildings and supporting facilities is even greater. With a land area of 3 hectares, the number of rooms at Royal Santrian is only 22. “This certainly gives more space for the environment. For example water absorption, but also the aesthetic factor," he said.

The atmosphere of the hotel looks more beautiful with large trees that are tens of years old. Most of them are trees that existed even before the hotel was built. Generally they are coastal tree species such as coconut and mangrove (Calophyllum inophyllum L.) or camplung in Balinese. The big trees were deliberately maintained like before there was a hotel. In some parts of the hotel, the rooms even follow the shape of a tree. It's not the trees that are cut down, but the buildings that adjust. Each tree contains a board with each name, such as kemoning (Murraya paniculata), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), and others. Each tree also contains information in English. "We also invite guests to plant trees at our hotel," he continued. He pointed out the tree on the page that read “Planted by Mr. Christian French & Family. September 2016”.

Sanur, which is famous for its beaches and sunrises, is one of the pioneers of tourism in Bali. Since the 1920s, this place has become a tourist destination. When most places in Bali are filled with towering cheap hotels, Sanur can relatively keep up. Lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism at Udayana University Nyoman Sukma Arida said Sanur was indeed more sustainable than other tourism centers in Bali, for example, Kuta. Apart from the focus on the market for mature tourism connoisseurs (elderly) it is also due to the strong role of traditional villages. "Sanur is also managed with the principle of small scale tourism," said the doctor in the field of ecotourism studies.
In general, hotels in Sanur are still in the form of cottages and bungalows with small and separate buildings. They also still allow a large, beautiful yard with shady trees.

One of the reasons why Sanur is still relatively well-maintained is the Denpasar Mayor Regulation (Perwali) No.6/2013 concerning Zoning Regulations for the Sanur Strategic Area. In general, this Perwali regulates Sanur in three zoning.
Another important thing is the commitment to protect the environment in the Sanur area, such as managing garbage and waste. It is also because of this commitment that Griya Santrian has received the annual Tri Hita Karana (THK) Award from the Tri Hita Karana Foundation since 2000.

Tri Hita Kirana is a Balinese concept of maintaining balance with three things, namely God (parahyangan), humans (pawongan), and nature (palemahan). This award is given to Bali tourism actors who are considered able to apply the THK concept in their operations. Gus De said that traditionally, the Balinese people have the wisdom to protect the environment. Apart from the THK concept, several rituals also aim to maintain the balance of nature, such as Tumpek Bubuh, a celebration to honor plants, and Nyepi, an activity to give the Earth a rest for 24 hours.

With its success in practicing sustainable tourism, including protecting the environment, hotels in Sanur actually get bigger profits. In terms of price, they are quite expensive. Griya Santrian, for example, has the cheapest price of almost IDR 2 million/night. Royal Santrian even up to IDR 5.3 million / night.
After all, although the price is more expensive, the occupancy rate is relatively stable, between 70-80 percent. When Bali is increasingly trapped in mass tourism, which emphasizes the number rather than the quality of tourists, it is important to remind again the importance of Bali implementing sustainable tourism. Including the environmental NGO WWF.

Since 2015, WWF Indonesia has launched the Signing Blue platform as a guide for sustainable tourism practices, especially marine tourism. Not only for business people but also tourists themselves. Maritime tourism business actors are divided into four, namely accommodation, trip organizers, restaurants and recreational boats. According to Indarwati Aminuddin, WWF Indonesia's National Coordinator for Sustainable Tourism, Signing Blue is expected to answer a number of current maritime tourism challenges. For example land conflicts, environmental exploitation, and marginalization of local residents.
"Without standardizing tourism management, we will not answer the challenges of sustainable development," said Indarwati.
Indarwati added that Signing Blue is not a certification, but she provides an assessment of the extent to which tourism businesses have implemented a number of criteria in their business. For example social, economic, or environmental aspects. In terms of the environment, for example, how do business actors pay attention to ecological footprints, waste management, and so on.

Criteria with numbers to indicate its application. There are five levels in the Signing Blue assessment called Bintang Laut. Starfish 1 means that the business manager is committed. Bintang Laut 5 has demonstrated concrete conservation efforts, including for example making blueprints in their business policies.
Currently, there are only seven members of Signing Blue in Bali. One of them is Griya Santrian, which received 2 Bintang Laut. Apart from that, there are also The Haven Bali and Sea Track which have received 3 Bintang Laut with The Santa Villa Ubud. In Indonesia, currently there are 104 companies participating in the Signing Blue. They are spread across 12 provinces with the largest number in Bali, NTB and NTT. "Not only stating a commitment, they have also implemented the principles of sustainability," said Indar. According to Indar, if the business is not managed wisely, slowly or quickly, ecosystems and natural resources will experience a decline in quality.

By applying the principles of sustainability, tourism business actors can obtain economic benefits because they increase the selling value of tourism actors. "Currently the majority of tourism businesses depend on healthy ecosystems, and in Indonesia, nature has been kind enough to provide everything needed," he added.
The same thing was conveyed by Gus De and Sukma Arida. “By increasing attention to sustainability, we can be able to increase tariffs. It increases the resale value. The environmental aspect is very influential on the selling price, "said Gus De.
Sukma added that sustainable tourism will provide greater benefits in the long term. "In the short term it may lose money, but sustainable tourism provides far greater non-financial benefits because it puts environmental elements as a guide," he said.

See the original article https://www.mongabay.co.id/2018/10/24/wisata-berkelanjutan-terbukti-lebih-menguntungkan/

In an effort to support the development of sustainable tourism in Indonesia, the WWF Indonesia Foundation makes it happen through the Signing Blue program. On 15 and 17 December 2021, Signing Blue carried out outreach activities aimed at expanding information regarding the Signing Blue program, especially in tourism destinations. This activity was divided into two sessions, where the first session was conducted offline and focused on the Labuan Bajo area which was carried out together with the West Manggarai Tourism and Culture Office by inviting the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority Executing Body, and was attended by Signing Blue members to express their views directly about sustainable tourism and several activities that have been carried out during Signing Blue membership. The second session was conducted for business actors located in Alor.

The socialization activity for the Signing Blue program in Labuan Bajo is in line with the vision of the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority Executing Body to make Labuan Bajo a World Class Sustainable Super Priority Tourism Destination. The WWF-Indonesia Foundation together with the Tourism and Culture Office of West Manggarai Regency carried out an outreach activity in conjunction with the Annual Meeting Signing Blue in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency at the Puri Sari Hotel. This activity involved 28 participants representing elements of the tourism pentahelix (Government, Academics, Business World Industry, Communities/Associations, and Media).

Activities are also in accordance with the mission and position of the Department of Tourism and Culture of West Manggarai Regency. "One mission of the West Manggarai Regency Tourism and Culture Office is the Journey to Sustainability or Journey to Sustainability, namely Developing Tourism in a Sustainable and Inclusive way as the Main Driver of the Economy," said Acting Plt. The Head of the West Manggarai Regency Tourism and Culture Office, Chrispinianus Mesima, when giving his presentation on the West Manggarai Regency Government Program in the Development of Labuan Bajo Super Priority Tourism Destinations. "Signing Blue can be included as one of the lighters that can remind the tourism industry to stay on the path of sustainable practices in tourism development." he added.

Exposure from Plt. The Head of the West Manggarai Regency Tourism and Culture Office is in line with the reason behind the Signing Blue initiation since 2013, namely to accommodate tourism actors and tourists to realize responsible marine tourism. By adopting the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) program, Signing Blue is a partner for tourism business actors, activists and services to ensure sustainable marine tourism practices are implemented consistently, and ultimately improve the quality of the environment, society , as well as strengthening the local economy.

Shana Fatina, as Main Director of the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority Tourism Agency (BPOLBF), was also present to give a presentation on the Labuan Bajo Super Priority Tourism Destination Development Program. He said, "Signing Blue can enter and assist on top issues of Labuan Bajo tourism development to achieve the vision of BPOLBF (Labuan Bajo as a World Class Sustainable Super Priority Tourism Destination), namely the integration of sustainable infrastructure, human resources & local contributions, and supply of commodities food supporting tourism”.

I Gede Dananjaya Bagaskara, from the Signing Blue Secretariat, explained that the background for the Signing Blue initiation by the WWF Indonesia Foundation was tourism activities which so far have contributed to massive economic growth, on the other hand it has also had an impact on the environment and socio-culture. Therefore, the concept of sustainable tourism has become a necessity because the tendency of people to choose eco-friendly tourism is quite high. Currently, Signing Blue has reached 130 members spread throughout Indonesia and 4 of them are in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai Regency, namely Hotel Puri Sari, Divine Diving, Dive Komodo, and Flores Diving Centre.

Chairman of the West Manggarai Indonesian Tour Guide Association (HPI), Sebastian Pandang, gave a response to the Signing Blue. He hopes that the indicators in the Signing Blue can be brought and translated into local government regulations so that they can be sustainable. The target of Signing Blue members will also be better if it is expanded not only to focus on star hotels, but also must be able to target non-star hotels because these non-star hotels are no less competitive in their commitment to implementing sustainable tourism. This is a response to the Signing Blue from the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) as well as a representative from the Flamingo Avia Hotel, Irene Tokan.

The same thing was done in Alor, where the socialization of the Signing Blue program in Alor was attended by more than 14 business actors consisting of accommodation, dive operators and trip operators. The activity began with an explanation of the Signing Blue program by the Signing Blue Secretariat, namely I Gede Dananjaya Bagaskara. Until now, there are 2 Signing Blue members in Alor, however, their commitment to creating sustainable tourism is very high. This can be seen from the results of the mentoring and evaluation carried out by the WWF Indonesia Foundation and Signing Blue, where the members showed increased commitment and action to meet the Signing Blue standards which consist of environmental, socio-cultural and economic aspects, as well as management effectiveness.

This activity also invited Mika as Field Manager from Mala Tours, Mika explained the program that had been carried out by Mala Tours to realize sustainable tourism in accordance with the results of assistance from the WWF Indonesia Foundation. Some of the activities that have been carried out by Mala Tours are initiating the formation of Alor Tourist Guides (ATG), assisting communication strategies for developing dugong conservation and tourist villages in Alor, as well as several other activities on the international stage such as being selected as a participant in the RISE Inc (Rich and Impactful Social Enterprise Incubator) and the ENPACT (Empowering Entrepreneur Initiative) program where this program is a collaboration with the German Government and the TUI Foundation. Great hopes from Mala Tours to move together with all business actors in Alor to realize sustainable tourism, and change the mindset of tourists that sustainable tourism is affordable.

The results of this socialization received positive responses from prospective Signing Blue members, where based on the results of the questionnaires that had been distributed to participants, all business services had a high interest in improving their business services into sustainable tourism to realize sustainable tourism in Alor. After the socialization of the Signing Blue Program, it is hoped that more actors, activists and tourism business services will join in implementing sustainable tourism practices so that efforts to realize sustainable tourism can be achieved.

For more information about the Signing Blue program and activities that have been carried out by members in realizing sustainable marine tourism in Indonesia, see the Signing Blue website www.signingblue.com

Eastern Indonesia is a marine tourism destination that is in demand by domestic and foreign tourists. One of them is a group of islands in East Nusa Tenggara with Labuan Bajo as the prima donna. Labuan Bajo has become a well-known dive site due to the diversity of its marine habitats. Various kinds of beautiful islands are in the surrounding waters, such as Rinca, Komodo, Sabolo, Kanawa, Padar and many more. Amazing diving sites located around the islands make Labuan Bajo an icon of marine tourism that cannot be underestimated by the world.

PT Divine Diving was founded in 2006, started as a small company with a vision of providing high quality services and creating an unforgettable experience for all diving tourists. Divine Diving is a dive operator company that has a mission to not only provide the best service but also to be a company that focuses on environmental conservation as well as striving to be sustainable in reducing the harmful ecological footprint affecting the surrounding environment.

Divine Diving invites tourists to take nautical trips as well as dives with a day package called daily trips, as well as several day trips or commonly referred to as 'live aboard' in various interesting dive sites around the waters of Komodo National Park, all by environmentally friendly boats. Solar panels are used to support electricity needs of the boat, such as water pumps, ship lights, and other needs. Divine Diving routinely cleans the hulls of its ships to keep it clean and free of particles, dirt, and algae adhering to it, maximizing speed and in turn optimizing fuel usage. This effort has minimized the use of fossil fuel, reducing the ecological footprint significantly.

After diving, tourists are catered to a food menu prepared by Divine Diving's chefs which can accommodate dietary needs of various lifestyles such as lactose-free and gluten-free. The food raw materials are obtained in fresh conditions. The fish consumed are from local fishermen who have made a written statement to Divine Diving that their fish are in accordance with fishing standards and procedures, namely fishing outside the conservation area and only catching fish that are fit for consumption.

Divine Diving participated in the success of the “no single use plastic” program by providing drinking water dispensers at their office and boats, even if there was single-use plastic waste, it would be collected to be taken to respective waste managers when on land. By not providing any plastic bottles and having a drinking water dispenser, Divine Diving informs its guests to bring their own drinking water container so that if guests need drinking water, they can simply have a refill. 

Since the beginning, Divine Diving has carried out beach cleaning activities. Communities and partners such as Trash Hero, Shark Guardian, Manta Watch and Guy's Trust are some examples of communities and foundations working with Divine Diving. Some days of note are, World Ocean Day, Ocean Clean Up and Beach Clean Up Day.

Divine Diving is highly aware that in order to progress positively on environmental cleanliness takes a lot of time. Therefore, conducting educational activities with local schools are useful in educating the next generation to preserve the natural resources of Labuan Bajo and its surroundings. As stated by Marij Aben, the owner of Divine Diving, "I realize that to be able to move forward to overcome this waste problem will take a lot of time, therefore we also carry out educational activities with local schools to educate the next generation to preserve Labuan Bajo's natural resources." Since then, real progress can be felt from the initiative of Divine Diving.

Apart from Divine Diving's efforts in making the "No Single Use Plastic" program a success and cleaning beaches with communities to control waste, Divine Diving implements good waste management at their office and on its boats. Divine Diving sorts its waste into three categories, namely recycled non-organic waste such as paper, non-recyclable non-organic waste such as glass and plastic, and organic waste such as food waste and leaves. Recyclable organic waste is generally taken home by Divine Diving staff to make compost. Then the non-organic waste, both recyclable and non-recyclable, will be given to a local waste company chosen and trusted by Divine Diving.

In addition to collaborating with local waste companies, buying fish from local fishermen, and buying food raw materials from local communities, Divine Diving also collaborates with several local businesses both in Labuan Bajo and other islands in Indonesia. Divine Diving promotes souvenirs such as wooden crafts from Komodo Island and from other islands in Indonesia. In addition, Divine Diving also collaborates with a sunscreen brand from Lombok that is environmentally friendly and safe for coral reefs. To work with local hotels, Divine Diving is quite selective because it must have certain criteria that must be met, namely the environmental friendliness aspect. One of the local hotels trusted by Divine Diving is Hotel Puri Sari because it meets the criteria and is proven to be environmentally friendly.

Buying Food from Local Market

Sumber: Divine Diving

In addition to environmental aspects that are prioritized, socio-economic aspects are also carried out. All office staff members and dive masters at Divine Diving are locals of West Manggarai and are responsible for all aspects of the business from the office to boat operations.

Joining Signing Blue

In accordance with Divine Diving's vision and mission to commit to environmental harmony in its role as a marine tourism operator, in 2017 Divine Diving joined as a member of Signing Blue, a program initiated by the WWF-Indonesia. This program has three pillars, these are, aspects of the natural environment whether on land or at sea, socio-cultural aspects, and aspects of management effectiveness. Divine Diving is awarded 4 Starfish, one of the best achievements of Divine Diving.

Some of the benefits that Divine Diving felt after becoming a member of Signing Blue is to learn more about the socio-economic aspect, the environment, ecological footprint reduction, and how to manage the company sustainably. Signing Blue has many trusted dive operator guidelines to both help and educate companies, tourists as well as the general public on the ecological system.

Since joining Signing Blue, there have been many positive and beneficial impacts for Divine Diving as a well-known dive operator in the Labuan Bajo area. One of them is making a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the conservation of marine mammals, biodiversity and the natural environment, as well as gaining international trust in the business sector. “I created a manual that contains various important information for our operations. Divine Diving has helped a lot in terms of saving marine mammals and other animals. This has allowed us to succeed in getting a 4 Starfish rating from Signing Blue,” said Marij Aben as owner of PT Divine Diving.

In terms of management effectiveness, Divine Diving has educated and trained staff, crew and employees to dive instructor level competence. So, it can be said that Divine Diving's staff are professionals in accordance with guidelines from Signing Blue to operate in the current line of marine tourism business, especially in the diving sector. All Divine Diving staff have also been well educated to always be aware of hazards and pay attention to maintain health and safety protocols, namely strict rules in the engine room regarding operational procedures and the First Aid in Accident (P3K) box is always available in case of an emergency. The 'basic safety training' that Divine Diving has conducted internally has been certified by an accredited authority in handling various safety scenarios. If something happens, the company believes that the staff can handle the emergency well, calmly and professionally.

Adapting During a Pandemic

The Cleanliness Health Safety and Environment Sustainability (CHSE) standard as a health protocol standard is a top priority for Divine Diving during the pandemic. To maintain each other's health, wearing masks in various activities, regularly washing hands, as well as conducting social distancing measures are performed.

Divine Diving has created a new SOP for diving equipment during the pandemic. Previously, guests would have tried diving equipment in the dive equipment area and the staff would bring the equipment to the boat. During this pandemic, guests must inform the staff in advance of the size they want to use, and the staff will wash the tools with an environmentally friendly cleaning solution made from lime juice and leaves. During diving activities, guests are encouraged to bring cleaned diving equipment to the boat. 

On board the boat, the CHSE protocol is always reminded by Divine Diving staff, these include, checking body temperature, maintaining a safe a distance, wearing masks, and washing hands with soap or hand sanitizer. Upon completion of the dive, guests are expected to bring their diving equipment to their respective stops and wash the equipment with water and return it the next day.

Divine Diving has several active and useful social media accounts, namely Instagram @divinedivingkomodo, Facebook Divine Diving Komodo Flores and the website www.divinediving.com. On these platforms, Divine Diving can share information and attract local people, tourists and local communities about environmental conservation, especially the underwater environment.

Divine Diving's hope after the 'new normal' is to be able to carry out activities as usual, where foreign tourists can return to Labuan Bajo and do fun diving activities and marine conservation activities. In the hopes that the waters of Komodo National Park remain beautiful and thrive sustainably.