Candirejo Village Community Tourism Project in Central Java

Candirejo

At the beginning of this year, my husband and I experienced real rural life in Central Java. We went to a town called Candi Rejo. It is about half an hour from Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia.

We listen to our Indonesian partners that Candi Rejo has launched a project of ecological tourism and community tourism. We have learned more about this project. In our view, community tourism is a tourism that consults, engages and benefits the local community. We wanted to see if this really is the case in this city.

At first we did not know what to expect. We bought our tickets in Bali, agreed with the village chief and later learned that we were at the airport in Yogyakarta.

Our leader was I.J. (pronounced EE-Jay) She was very friendly and communicative, although her English skills were limited. She was an interesting woman. He is around 35 years old and wears a hijab (scarf) and a long-sleeved shirt every day to cover his arms, even when it's very hot. Obviously, Muslim women look normal. IJ is a single mother raising 2 children alone. She is the only woman leader in her city and she is very proud of it. She said that if there were no visitors to guide her, she would run the farm like the rest of the people in her village.

After the meeting with IJ, we drove to the city, about an hour from the airport. The view was great. We could see a volcano in the distance as we crossed mustard fields, corn fields, tapioca farms, and other types of vegetable farms. We also passed through a 9th century Buddhist temple called Pawon. It is dedicated to Kuvera, the god of fortune.

When we arrived in Candi Rejo, we first met with the village chief. We thought it was an older man with a gray mustache, like many other representatives of the Indonesian government. We were surprised when the village chief, Mr. Ian, appeared. A charming man of 28 years, with a gentle voice and very well dressed.

He briefly explained the history of ecotourism to Candi Rejo. A few years ago, an Indonesian NGO approached the village and introduced the concept of ecotourism in the community. After many meetings in the village, the community of Candi Rejo accepted the idea. The village also has the advantage of being very close to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia and a great miracle of antiquity. They have a river that can be used for rafting, and there is also a trail called Watu Kendil that leads to Kendil Hill. From this hill you can see 5 volcanoes and the entire construction of the temple of Borobudur.

The Ecotourism Project by Candi Rejo is a pilot project in Indonesia. The city has about 5,000 inhabitants and most of the inhabitants are farmers. The main unit that manages the tourist industry in Candi Rejo is the municipality that runs the cooperative, not the government. The head of the cooperative keeps the village head on, but the income goes directly to the locals.

The inhabitants voluntarily joined the cooperative. For example, if you have additional rooms at home, you can register as a tourist accommodation. People who have horse-drawn rickshaws can become members of the cooperative to provide transport services to the village. All members of the cooperative must accept the list system, which gives guides, porters, village tours, maintenance and craft sales the opportunity to earn money.

There is no doubt that the ecotourism project has increased the village economy. Since becoming officially a "tourist village" in 2003, Candi Rejo has become a cleaner and richer village. The village chief ordered that all the houses in the village "Rambutan", a tropical fruit tree in front of their houses, grow. The result is: This city becomes very green and dark. The climate in Central Java can be very hot, these big trees can protect pedestrians from the hot sun.

When we asked the village headman if he feared that the tourism industry would one day lead to unprecedented pollution of the village, he replied that the cooperative limited the number of visitors per year. The tourism programs they have developed also focus on green tourism, not tourism programs. Therefore, most of the visitors who come to Candi Rejo are green travelers. They want to learn more about agriculture or experience life in the rural Javanese.

In 2007, the city welcomed 800 to 900 visitors. We saw pictures of their previous visitors. Some schools in major Indonesian cities have sent students to Candi Rejo to learn more about farming and rural life. It is true that many Indonesian children who grew up in the city do not know how trees and fruits they eat on the ground look like. This type of learning program teaches them where the food comes from. It also helps students understand how important it is to preserve their environment.

Not only students from all over Indonesia come to Candi Rejo. Governments in other Indonesian villages also visit Candi Rejo to learn more about village tourism and ecotourism.

We can not forget how nice people are to Candi Rejo. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. We believe that community-based tourism really fits in with their characters. His natural enthusiasm for welcoming his guests made our trip so easy and memorable.

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At Candi Rejo we learned Javanese gamelan (his traditional musical instruments). We also played volleyball with the locals, it was really fun! We took the rickshaw everywhere during our stay (issue 0 insurance). They also invited us to visit the village chief's house for a church meeting. It's like a visit to our family there.

We leave Candi Rejo with good memories of this city. We would come back in a moment. Let's hope we can take our travelers with us next time. We are proud that the movement of ecotourism and community tourism in Indonesia is growing rapidly. We hope that these projects can reduce poverty, create more jobs and above all preserve the ecology of Indonesia.