From Flores to Taiwan: The Story of Collaboration between Indecon and Taiwan

It all started when Indecon was invited as the resource person at a conference in Taiwan in 2019. At that time, Mr. Ary Suhandi shared the story of community-based tourism in Indonesia and Waerebo. The Taiwan Ecotourism Association (TEA) and the Indonesia Ecotourism Network (INDECON) are two organizations that have previously networked and are both members of the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN). Two years ago, our friends from the Taiwan Ecotourism Association (TEA) visited Flores to visit our tourism villages, including Wolofeo-Sipijena, Bena, Tololela, Waerebo, Liang Ndara; and explored the natural beauty of Flores in Kelimutu National Park and Komodo National Park. Among those visiting were Professor Chen Mei Hui and Associate Professor Chen Wei Li (Jasmine). The trip had been very insightful, more like travelling with long-time families.

This meaningful trip became the start of a lasting collaboration. In 2025, Professor Chen Mei Hui of the National Pintung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) initiated a collaborative exchange of knowledge, information, and experience between Indonesia and Taiwan. In April 2025, a webinar was held featuring speakers from Taiwan (Mr. Olson Lee) and Indonesia (Mr. Ary S. Suhandi) on Community-Based Tourism in Indigenous Communities.

This program also continued in July 2025, Indecon, represented by Wita Simatupang; and 2 community representatives from Flores , namely Benyamin Semandu (Waerebo) and Yudith Wangge (Sipijena) were invited to visit Taiwan on July 7-15, 2025. For a week, they were asked to share stories and experiences about Indonesia; as well as get to know and learn many insightful stories from the community in Taiwan. They visited several communities, which are Shenshan Community Development Association (Wutai Township, Pintung County), The Eighteen Arhats Mountain Nature Reserve Association and The Baolai Cultural Association (Liugui District, Kaohsiung City), Lide Community Development Association and Gangkou Community Development Association (Manzhou Township, Pintung County), and Mingde Community Beekeeping Revitalization Center Association (Touwu Township, Miaoli County). In addition, they also visited two (2) national parks, namely Kenting National Park and Yengmingshan National Park. The trip was exceptionally interpreted by Associate Professor Chen Wei Li (Jasmine) from Tamkang University; dan well organized by a solid team from NPUST Mrs. Perry dan Mr. Bo Yuen.

This collaboration marks an important milestone in the exchange of knowledge between Indonesia and Taiwan in community-based ecotourism. And this is just the beginning—more webinars and cross-country visits are planned to strengthen the ecotourism network across Asia.

Stay tuned for the full story and latest updates on Indecon’s official Instagram @indecon.id. Don’t miss new inspirations about community-based tourism in Indonesia and Taiwan!