Stakeholders involved in tourism development in Namo Sialang village are the local government (village government); central government (GLNP manager – representative of Ministry of Forestry); NGOs such as tourism NGOs (Indonesian Ecotourism Network/ INDECON and wildlife NGO
(Conservation Response Unit/CRU – part of Flora Fauna International/FFI programme; Orangutan Information Centre/OIC); tourism organisation (LPT); and tourism industry stakeholders. Those stakeholders have different roles and involvement in the village and the following discussion outlines their roles in more detail.
6.4.1
Government
Central government (Gunung Leuser National Park)
GLNP started to be involved in tourism development in Namo Sialang, particularly Tangkahan, through the GLNP in 2000 (see Section 6.3.1). As in Perkebunan Bukit Lawang, the Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) manager is the key representative of the central government, with similar motivation and mission (see Section 5.4.1), with a particular focus on stopping illegal logging. Community support is needed to solve the problem, and the GLNP cooperates with the community to achieve this goal. The GLNP is more involved in Namo Sialang than in Perkebunan Bukit Lawang.
0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Number of local visitor (people) Number of international tourist (people)
For example, the national park has a field officer who is based in Tangkahan and has a responsibility to maintain trained elephants as an important tourist attraction in the area and also helps with training guides, conservation cadre, and interpreters. Staff from the GLNP accompany and support the community in the field to cooperate with other institutions supporting activities at Tangkahan, and facilitates LPT members visiting other tourist sites to see what happens elsewhere and to share experiences with other stakeholders.
The national park manager has also conducted a community empowerment programme called the Conservation Village Model (CCM/MDK-Model Desa Konservasi) that was directed to support conservation area management. Since GLNP manager’s mission is to protect the national park resources, the community empowerment programme mainly aims to enhance community capacity so that the community could help the GLNP in achieving its mission. In other words, community empowerment is only part of its programme with the main purpose of supporting the community being to achieving the GLNP’s mission. The activities in this programme, including socialisation activities on an annual basis and capital support, such as providing the equipment needed by the community. The GLNP manager asks the local field officer to provide monthly reports monitoring activities. The tourism organisation (LPT) provides an annual report that contains the number of visits and amount of revenue going to the national park (see below).
Local government (Namo Sialang village government)
The village government in Namo Sialang has been involved in tourism development in Tangkahan since the initial stage around 1980 (see Section 6.3.1). The head of the village is assisted by staff as an element of village organisation (UU no 6/2014). Initially, the village government had a vital role in tourism development in Tangkahan (e.g., design regulation, monitoring activity). Currently, the village has an official role as an advisor for tourism development and supports the tourism organisation in legal aspects, e.g., signs letters needed by the tourism organisation; and maintains safety and security in the village. The village’s official motivation for tourism involvement is to improve community welfare; the area is part of the village, and the people who initiated tourism development are members of the village. Therefore, the village is officially involved in supporting development.
6.4.2
Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)
There are several NGOs involved in tourism development in Namo Sialang village. In general, they play a role in facilitating community development to increase their capacity and ability to serve tourist needs and organise tourism activities, in the form of education or training. They also help to build a network with others stakeholder, and help community members access funding to support their operation. These organisations are discussed in more detail below.
Indonesian Ecotourism Network (INDECON)
The Indonesian Ecotourism Network (INDECON) NGO was the first NGO involved in tourism development at Tangkahan and was involved intensively from 2000 to 2006. Currently, the NGO is not directly involved in the area, but still communicates occasionally by phone to monitor the tourism management processes, and LPT sends an update most years regarding tourist numbers coming to the area and asks for recommendations when there is a problem. The more limited involvement now is due to issues with limited funding, and the fact that the community no longer needs its help and advice as it did previously (pers. comm. INDECON representative).
INDECON was established in 1995 as a non-profit organisation focussed on developing and promoting ecotourism in Indonesia with a vision to become the centre of Indonesian ecotourism research, development, training, and promotion. The goal has been to develop and promote ecotourism in Indonesia to conserve biodiversity and culture as tourism assets. This NGO became involved in Namo Sialang because the community (i.e., representatives of Tangkahan Simalem Ranger/young generation) approached it to help develop tourism activities as an alternative to illegal logging. As the representative said:
Yeah, first we saw, the challenge actually, that it is interesting challenge. I saw sincere hope from the community (to) change. So the plea should be greeted and the challenge (which) I know (that) it is not small since there is still wood drifting (from illegal logging activity) at the time. So I am
motivated to think this is an interesting challenge for the conservation area. (NS_NGO4).
INDECON supported and facilitated the community in tourism planning. In the process, the
community designed an agreement on long-term tourism management principles as a master plan that defines ecotourism activities, the parking area, how to monitor the ecotourism destination, and zoning. INDECON conducted several programmes and activities conducted in Namo Sialang to aide with participatory planning. The programme included improving community capacity by connecting them with other stakeholders, increasing community ability in problem-solving and improving management and organisational skills. For capacity building, the activities conducted were training activities related to tourism for guides and LPT members (e.g., Search and Rescue, interpretation). They also helped LPT with marketing, promotion, and tourism product development. The community was taught about ecotourism versus mass tourism principles; inventory, identification and
conservation of natural and cultural resources; services for tourists; tourism activity monitoring; hygiene aspects in food processing; administration; English language; handicraft for souvenirs; and tourist preferences. They helped conduct tour trials, spread the news (Press tour), and helped make brochures and CDs to distribute through "travel mart" activities in Medan, Jakarta and international events such as ITB Berlin. This NGO also assisted the community in developing institutional capacity
by connecting them with local government both Langkat District and North Sumatra province. The community also learned how to build a network with other stakeholders and through the support of INDECON, got recognition from other stakeholders regarding its authority to manage tourism activities in the area (pers. comm. INDECON representative).
The NGO was also involved in developing local regulations and village policy regarding the Tangkahan Ecotourism development, which was designed by the community, particularly LPT members together with volunteers. LPT members learned how to write and design village regulations on environmental and tourism management, the tourism manager’s role and responsibilities, a benefit-sharing
mechanism and a policy about the cooperation between the LPT and other stakeholders (pers.
comm. INDECON representative).
Orangutan Information Centre (OIC)
OIC is an Indonesian wildlife NGO dedicated to conserving the Sumatran orangutan and its habitat and works to raise community awareness of the conservation strategies of Sumatran orangutan. OIC has been involved more intensively in Tangkahan (Namo Sialang) than in Perkebunan Bukit Lawang. OIC’s involvement in Namo Sialang started in 2001, but is not continuous; it becomes involved only when needed to address the orangutan issues, e.g., when some are sick, injured, or there is human- wildlife conflict. Tangkahan is an essential habitat for orangutan, and tourism can have negative impacts on the species’ existence. Consequently, the organisation needs to be involved and intervene in activities (pers. comm. OIC representative).
OIC uses community empowerment as a tool to improve community awareness about conserving orangutan and seeks to do this through community education and communication, particularly to youth, and to promote sustainable community development initiatives, including ecotourism, through training and capacity building in the local community. They also collaborate with other NGOs, local and international, and businesses working towards parallel goals; to conserve Sumatran orangutan, and work with local people to preserve and restore rainforest habitat. They work with the local government also in the protection and maintenance of protected areas (pers. comm. OIC
representative).
The NGOs conducted several community activities in the area, but primarily involving LPT board members and tourism industry representatives. In 2008-09, the organisation had a specific programme for this village called the Tangkahan Ecotourism Development Initiative (TEDI). The programme consists of several activities, namely equipping guides with a uniform, the Asian Digital Opportunity Centre (ADOC) programme, and designing a masterplan and village policy regarding the Tangkahan ecotourism development. ADOC aims to increase communities’ capacity to promote their destination to the outside world by developing books, website, and a movie. The programmes
include website management training as a trainer (so they can teach others), English training, home visits, school visit, and conservation camps to introduce the place to the community and build the community’s sense of pride. Other activities in the area include rainforest restoration activities and a pilot scheme to establish organic gardens (including training for the community on how to adopt the system). The NGO also facilitated Community Tour Operator (CTO) (see Section 6.4.3) members to participate in tourism fairs in Medan. At this event, the community was encouraged to learn about market characteristics and marketing strategy. Direct interaction with the market helps the community to have a better understanding of tourists’ preferences. Finally, the NGO conducted socialisation about natural resources conservation to enhance community awareness and willingness to participate in protecting the area. However, the organisation does not have any evaluation or monitoring of the success of their programmes (pers. comm. OIC representative).
Conservation Response Unit (CRU)
Another wildlife NGO involved at Tangkahan is CRU, and this is the only NGO that has a permanent presence in the village. The main responsibility of this organisation, and its representative, is to take care of the trained elephants. The CRU programme has been ongoing since 2003 and has four objectives: mitigate human-elephant conflict; reduce wildlife crime activities in an important
elephant habitat through forest patrols and monitoring; raise local people’s awareness of elephant and orangutan conservation and habitat; and establish community-based ecotourism to ensure CRU’s long-term financial sustainability (Fauna & Flora International, n.d). Initially, CRU worked at Tangkahan to support national park programmes, such as conflict mitigation and community-based forest safeguard schemes. When the community decided to improve its welfare by developing tourism activities, the organisation felt it necessary to support the efforts as they felt tourism development could support their primary goals of wildlife and habitat preservation (pers. comm. OIC
representative). CRU works to reduce the negative impacts of tourism, so they do not endanger
wildlife and its habitat. They do this through their existing activities, but also through training for rangers and host experts, their partners and volunteers to support and improve community capacity for ecotourism (pers. comm. CRU representative).
6.4.3
Tourism organisations
Lembaga Pariwisata Tangkahan (LPT)
As stated above, the LPT was formed as a result of a community desire to find an alternative livelihood to illegal logging in ecotourism, so improving the local economy (see Section 6.3.1). The community chose ecotourism because, in the opinion of LPT, ecotourism can provide benefits to the community. LPT is the official caretaker responsible for organising tourism matters and has a role as a decision-maker in tourism development at Tangkahan. The organisation, which consists of local
community members, works collaboratively with the GLNP manager to manage and organise tourism development in the area (Section 6.3.1). The organisation’s board comprises community members from Namo Sialang and Sei Serdang. They are usually selected by agreement (“musyawarah”) in the congress they conduct every three years. The board’s members generally come from the same ethnic group, which is the Karonese; or people who have “integrated” into this ethnic group (usually by marriage).
The objectives of LPT’s strategy are to protect, conserve, and utilise GLNP in a sustainable manner and to increase local community capacity so it will be able to optimise potential development. LPT, through its board, manages and organises tourism activities in the area, including planning, and monitoring activities, and marketing and promotion. They work to develop the Tangkahan tourism area into an international tourist destination; to strengthen the tourism sector in Namo Sialang and Sei Serdang; and to develop a global network (Wijaya, 2009).
On a daily basis, the LPT’s role is to manage tourism activities in the area, such as organising the guides and visitor management. LPT has two main divisions: the Community Tourism Operator (CTO) and Ranger. CTO is the only tour operator in the area; the organisation was formed in 2001. This operator is responsible for managing the tourism product, the marketing activities, and tourist activities. Every tourist or travel agent from outside the village has to book and pay for the tourism package at the CTO. For domestic tourists, if they do not take a tourism package, they pay only the entrance and parking fee. The CTO also handles tourist admission to the national park (pers. comm.
CTO representative). The Ranger division, previously Tangkahan Simalem Rangers, consists of 90 people who come from the two villages and are divided into three groups. The first group comprises tour interpreters and guides (30 people) assigned to accompany guests on their activities (trekking, elephant riding, tubing). The second group (a further 30 people) are in charge of maintaining security and safety in the area. Thirty more have the duty to keep the environment clean (i.e., clean up rubbish, and replant damaged crops). All get a monthly salary from the LPT (pers. comm. ranger
representatives).
LPT implements a “one gate management system”. The system means every activity that takes place in the area needs permission from LPT. Any stakeholder who wants to do an activity and cooperate with the community or other stakeholders in the area should discuss it with the LPT board. LPT shares 2.5% of the revenue from tourism with the village government, which uses it for operational expenses of village officials. The LPT also often supports the restoration or development of public
facilities (e.g., road, bridge). In addition, the LPT built an English School for children and paid the teacher so the children can go to the school for free to learn English (pers. comm. LPT representative).
As mentioned in Section 6.3.1, the LPT formed an agreement with the GLNP manager to manage and organise tourism activities in Tangkahan area. At the end of 2016, the agreement between the villages and GLNP manager expired. Due to the implementation of new regulations (government regulation 36, 2010) about permits to conduct tourism activities in protected areas (Ijin Pengusahaan Pariwisata
Alam/IPPA), the community needed to apply to get a permit to manage tourism activities in the
protected area. Because of a lack of socialisation about the regulation/policy, awareness of improvements and a lack of monitoring by central government (i.e., Ministry of Forestry),
implementation of these regulations caused conflict within tourism organisations (LPT) and between LPT and the village government. The village government wanted to cooperate and collaborate with the tourism organisations and be more involved in the management of Tangkahan, but the tourism organisations seemed reluctant to cooperate (pers. comm. the representatives of village government
and LPT members). A conflict also occurred between the younger and older generations involved in
the tourism industry. The younger generation wanted to increase tourism development and make changes to the way tourism was managed, including building collaboration with the village
government, but the older generation wanted to manage tourism as they had before. However, the younger generation did not want to show its disagreement openly because of respect for the older generation. This condition made the conflict difficult to resolve (pers. comm. the representatives of
LPT members). The conflict remained when the fieldwork finished. The stakeholders, including the
NGOs and government, do not want to intervene since, in their perception, it is a “domestic problem” (pers. comm. tourism organisation members and board, representatives of national park
manager and NGOs). The conflict may have had an impact on the perception of empowerment
amongst the community at the time of the study (see Chapter Eight).
6.4.4
Tourism industry stakeholders
Several types of tourism industry stakeholder exist in the area, including: accommodation providers; tour operators; restaurants café, food and stalls owners (including souvenir retailers); transport operators; and guides. All of them have a role in providing services for tourists. The local
accommodation sector comprises mainly family businesses. Some business are owned by the local community, and some others by people from Bukit Lawang. These people build their business to increase family income and open new employment opportunities for locals. Most accommodation businesses also have restaurants/cafes and souvenir stalls attached to them. They also have their own transport services. The food sold is mostly traditional food, but some stalls sell western food. During the peak season and at holiday time, the number of food sellers increases. The sellers come
from other villages or other hamlets. They build a semi-permanent place from which to sell the food or use only a mat as the place to put the food. To be able to sell food, they have to pay a levy to the LTP. The most common souvenirs are t-shirts, bracelets, and key chains.
Some of the accommodation owners conduct informal training for new employees, cooperate with tour and travel companies to promote their business, and cooperate with several schools and universities around Medan City to conduct education tourism. However, there is no monitoring of the activities they conducted.
The guides in this area are part of LPT, in the Ranger division (see Section 6.4.3). Approximately 30 guides work in the destination on a rotation scheme. Each guide usually works only a day per month and gets a salary of about IDR 2000000 (NZ$ 200) per month.
Some stakeholders, particularly the GLNP manager, OIC, and CRU, have similar motivations and a shared sense of purpose: to protect and conserve natural resources by increasing community welfare. They believe that by improving the economy of the community, the pressure on national park resources will decrease. In these terms, most stakeholders use tourism as a tool to empower the community economically and increase community awareness about natural resource
conservation. Because this is the goal, increasing tourist numbers, improving tourist experiences, and building income is the focus of the material and activities aimed at local communities. The efforts to prepare them as decision-makers for tourism development in the area conducted in the earlier stage