Meutia Prima
IPMI International Business School
Amelia Naim Indrajaya
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A sustainable and profitable business generating wealth and income in an underdeveloped village is possible by empowering local people and giving them learning opportunities. The locals are given skills needed to become professionals in the tourism industry of white water rafting. The mission is to establish a self-sustained community, and give more opportunities to young and productive adults. They are able to scale-up their social and economic status and support their families with pride.
From Unemployed to Manager
According to Amelia Yunita, when the company started, the area along Citarik River remained in the under-developed village (IDT) category. It had a poor infrastructure, electricity had not yet penetrated this area, and so the conditions of the village is deserted and pitch black at night. It was also hard to find local people with good educational background that meet the needs of the company. Mostly they were graduated only from Junior High School. Most of the communities of the village made a living as laborers on the tea plantations. Most of the youths are in their productive age, only work as motorcycle taxis (ojek). This happened since the public transportation has not reached the village because of the damaged main street that connects to their village. The people’s habit of throwing trash into the river is not only bad for the business but also for the region and Indonesia will lose its full potential for tourism destination.
So her business tries at once to address it, not only for the business sake but also for a mission that can deliver massive impact for the communities. To really support the destined-area to improve and the locals to become involved, productive, creative, growth and proud with their lives, we need tourism business models in under-developed area that combine the best practice of the business, community empowerment, stakeholders’ supports and engagement and scale it up with holistic approaches.
For Yunita, what she gives from her business not only comes from tangible result financially and economically both for people and the village, but also the intangible outcome which is the pride and life experiences for all their stakeholders involved (employees, customers, partners, suppliers, etc) that they have been part of the acts for a good cause.
1. No Poverty: Get unskilled, unemployed, and unproductive local young and adults involved in the business, give them a vocation, training and education, place them at decent jobs or help them with setting up their own business.
4. Quality Education: Give the locals relevant vocations and quality skills training with professional instructor from national and international level.
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth: Given the required skills and employment in the business, scale them up to be professions, and creates entrepreneurship of the locals, it makes impact on the people, their families, their communities, and the economy.
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Business diversification by being not only in adventure sports but expanding in hotels, restaurant and management training creates access of small-scale business operated by the locals and their integration into the company value chains and markets
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities: The company presence and operation induce the improvement of economic, social and environmental condition and making the village from under-developed to be the tourism destination.
Arus Liar had difficult start. First concerns came from the business aspect: the demand. There were not many Indonesians interested in rafting because of the safety aspect that are highly required in the activities. The second was the social and economic aspect of the people in the under-developed village where the business operated.
So the company’s innovation of business model by getting the locals involved in the business, gave them relevant vocations, quality skills and certified training with professional instructors from national and international level, then place them at decent jobs as rafting instructor, managed to answered both concerns. Some of the local employees of Arus Liar are the first Indonesian Rafting Guide certified from International Rafting Federation and some also succeeded being professional rafting athletes participating in national or international rafting event.
These facts gave the company benefits for getting the trust and winning the top preference from the customers, and using it as their competitive advantage to face competition as more the same companies operate in the areas. Another thing that can be considered as competitive advantage is that customer using the services will get the experience of adventure for a good cause because of the Arus Liar Go Green package. With the high quality skill of their local employees and service of good cause helps improving the company’s brand reputation and winning competition.
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