Pela, a village in Kutai Kertanegara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, has been included in a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) program that would ensure local tourism can celebrate diversity, provide opportunities, and safeguard biodiversity.
The program is under UNWTO's Best Tourism Villages initiative launched 3 years ago to showcase tourism villages that “are leading in nurturing rural areas and preserving landscapes, cultural diversity, local values, and culinary traditions.” Since the initiative’s launch, UNWTO has come out with an annual list of the best tourism villages in the world. It named this year’s best villages in October.
While Pela did not fully meet the criteria to be named among the world’s top tourism villages, UNWTO recognized it still has a great potential and is on track to be among the best. Under the initiative’s upgrade program, UNWTO and its partners would help Pela improve and work on its weak points through workshops, virtual meetings and other initiatives.
The UNWTO defines rural tourism as a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle and culture, and sightseeing.
In line with the UNWTO definition of rural tourism, a village must have a low population density and a maximum of 15,000 inhabitants; be located in a landscape with an important presence of traditional activities such as agriculture, forestry, livestock or fishing; and share community values and lifestyle.
Rural tourism is also a way to promote sustainability and improve the livelihood of the community in an area.
The wonders of Pela
Pela village sits on the banks of the Muara Pela River, which is part of the Mahakam River, the third longest in Borneo. Because of the village’s proximity to the river, residents mostly depend on fishing for livelihood.
A study that looked at the potential of Pela for tourism said the village could highlight the presence of river dolphins, or pesut, in the Mahakam River to attract tourists. Indonesia declared the dolphins as endangered in 1975 due to their dwindling population, but the study said Pela is one of the locations the pesut may be observed, making the village as an ecotourism attraction.
Pela could also attract tourists to the nearby Semayang Lake. The village is often used as a location to enjoy the sunset on Lake Semayang, the study said. The lake is also part of the habitat of the pesut.
Pela, which is part of the Kota Bangun District in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, is among the entrees to the 2022 Indonesian Tourism Village Award organized by Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
In Pela’s video on YouTube, its foray into tourism is said to be backed by the community, who wants to showcase the local culture, cuisine, and other attractions to visitors. The village has a museum that features its history. Tourists can also take home souvenirs, such as handicrafts and local foodstuffs.
The village is 130 kilometers from the Aji Pangeran Tumenggung Pranoto Airport, the main airport in Samarinda, the capital city of East Kalimantan, and is more than 3 hours away from the Bangun City pier. Visitors would need to take a 20-minute longboat ride to reach Pela.
BIMP-EAGA’s push for rural tourism
In a forum in May, BIMP-EAGA member states examined ways to promote rural tourism as a means to spur development in remote and less developed areas in the subregion.
UNWTO named Batu Puteh in Sabah as one of the best tourism villages in the world in 2021.
Located in the Lower Kinabatangan River in Eastern Sabah (Northeast Borneo), Batu Puteh boasts of highly diverse ecosystems. Its freshwater swamp forest and rainforest are home to diverse wildlife, such as monkeys, hornbills, birds, and elephants.
Malaysia Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said Batu Puteh is a model of responsible rural tourism as well as ecotourism and community-based tourism. “This tourism niche is one the country's main areas of strength considering the abundance of natural assets, heritage, and cultural diversity with which we are blessed," she said.
Batu Puteh is the only village in BIMP-EAGA that has made it to the UNWTO’s best tourism village list so far.