Community-Based Tourism in Indigenous Communities: Between Values, Cost, and Benefits
Cross-country collaboration returns through the Ecotourism Exchange (EcoXChange) program, initiated by the Community Forestry Research Team from the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), in collaboration with the Indonesia Ecotourism Network (INDECON) and the Taiwan Ecotourism Network (TEA).
Supported by the University Social Responsibility (USR), this program highlights the development of community-based tourism (CBT) in indigenous areas, focusing on economic benefits and exploring the values, costs, and accompanying social complexities.
Opening Remarks: Weaving Taiwan–Indonesia Cooperation
The webinar opened with warm remarks from Dr. W. Jasmine Chen, an academic from Tamkang University, Taiwan, who revisited the history of Indonesia–Taiwan cooperation in ecotourism since 2019, starting with an international conference in Taiwan featuring Mr. Ary Suhandi as one of the keynote speakers.
Since then, the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and practical learning has continued through student exchange programs and field visits. This year, Taiwan also plans to invite Indonesian representatives to visit ecotourism destinations in Taiwan.
Discussing Values in Community-Based Tourism
Wita Simatupang, representing INDECON, emphasized the importance of value awareness in CBT. According to her, every achievement in community development comes with a cost, tangible costs like logistics or intangible ones like time and energy.
“What’s most important is to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs, although this is highly subjective and not easily quantified,” she said.
Wita also stressed that the maturity of a community in CBT can be seen in their awareness of the values they strive for. Without that awareness, long-term benefits are hard to achieve.
Taiwan’s Ecotourism: Two Decades of Lessons for Future Collaboration
Prof. Dr. Mei-Hui Chen from NPUST highlighted how ecotourism in Taiwan has grown significantly over the past two decades, since initiatives began in 2003. Through close collaboration between indigenous communities and the government, several community-based ecotourism destinations have thrived while preserving local cultural values.
However, Prof. Mei-Hui also pointed out the challenges, particularly related to funding limitations, as many programs are self-financed by the communities themselves. In response, Taiwan formed an ecotourism ecosystem alliance, which now includes over 40 communities. This alliance serves as a platform for collaboration and capacity-building to ensure more systematic and sustainable ecotourism development.
She further expressed hope that collaboration between Taiwan and Indonesia will continue to expand. This year, Taiwan plans to invite several Indonesian representatives to visit in person, as part of a knowledge and experience exchange. Prof. Mei-Hui hopes that the visit will be memorable and strengthen the bond between the two countries in developing inclusive, fair, and sustainable community-based ecotourism.
Taiwan and 20 Years of Indigenous Ecotourism
Olson Lee, who has been involved in Taiwan’s ecotourism sector for over 38 years, shared his experience with the transformation of this sector in indigenous communities. Since 2000, the government has promoted traditional practices and fostered national awareness of cultural heritage.
According to Olson, Taiwan’s indigenous communities had their economic models before ecotourism developed. However, due to restrictions on natural resource extraction, ecotourism began to replace mass tourism approaches.
Today, Taiwan has over 40 communities involved in the ecotourism alliance. One success story is the Tsou Tribe, which managed to revive and breathe life into its ancestral culture through tourism. Tourism income now supports the community’s educational and nutritional needs.
However, Olson also pointed out challenges in local marketing, which still heavily relies on government subsidies. He emphasized that success often comes more from community strength and self-driven promotion rather than institutional aid.
“Culture and tourism must exist in a symbiotic relationship. Culture cannot merely be preserved—it must be lived through authentic and sustainable tourism,” Olson concluded.
Indigenous Tourism in Indonesia: Complex and Full of Challenges
In his session, Ary Suhandi from INDECON shared experiences and reflections on ecotourism development in Indonesia. Since 1995, INDECON has been a pioneer in promoting sustainable tourism practices and has worked with more than 200 communities across Indonesia.
Ary stated that Indonesia has more than 75,000 villages, with over 6,000 already declaring themselves as tourist villages. However, he stressed that CBT development in indigenous areas is much more complex due to the local value systems and customary rules that must be respected.
“We’ve seen how tourism can be a tool for environmental and cultural conservation. But if not well-managed, it can also bring negative impacts, including excessive commercialization that erodes socio-cultural values,” Ary explained.
Success stories such as Waerebo Village, which generates up to USD 250,000 annually from tourism, show that with fair benefit distribution (each family receives USD 45 per month), social harmony can be maintained. The key to this success lies in long-term assistance and capacity-building for the local community.
Toward Stronger Collaboration
The webinar discussions revealed that community-based tourism in indigenous communities has great potential, but requires a careful and contextual approach. In both Indonesia and Taiwan, the success of CBT depends heavily on community awareness of cultural values and environmental sustainability, as well as their ability to build fair benefit-sharing systems.
More than just sharing best practices, this webinar laid the foundation for cross-cultural understanding and solidarity in preserving ancestral heritage through tourism that is fair, sustainable, and rooted in community values.
Interestingly, this webinar is not the endpoint, but the first step in a long series of ecotourism collaborations between Taiwan and Indonesia. Moving forward, eight more webinars will follow as part of this cooperative program, gradually discussing important topics on community-based ecotourism, cross-border knowledge exchange, and best practices.
It is hoped that this series will further strengthen the network among stakeholders, enrich perspectives, and reinforce resilient community-based ecotourism practices in both countries.
