First Ecotourism Village of Indonesia to have over 400 Homes

The first eco-tourism village developed through the joint-venture by Habitat for Humanity Indonesia and Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) will come up near some of Indonesia’s most picturesque ancient temples. According to a report in eTN, the project will be spread across the village of Soran, located near the famous Prambanan Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built around 850 AD.

Although Soran has a rich background of creating music and crafts, about 60 percent of villagers live below the poverty line here. The project is expected to improve housing for most villagers, while establishing a sustainable, eco-friendly hospitality business model built on the community’s historic cultural traditions.

The village will be thrown open to foreign tourists within three years to showcase architectural marvel of Indonesia’s temples, folklore and cultural performances. The three-year project will have family homes with additional space and facilities to accommodate eco-tourists who visit the historic Central Java area.

All the homes will be earthquake proof, and will come with standard hospitality needs which do not damage the environment. The initial phase of the project will provide training for more than 250 villagers to operate eco-tourist accommodations, including laundry management, preparation of traditional cuisine, cultural performance, and marketing traditional arts.

James Tumbuan, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia opined the project created shelter and economic opportunity for the entire community of Soran. Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization founded on the conviction that every human should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. And APP is one of the world’s largest pulp and paper producers which joined the Habitat’s mission as the part of its corporate social responsibility agenda.

By Jose Roy