Innovation

“I guess the innovation is actually to come up with a tour operating business in an island where no one would like to go…” These were Mr. Jun’s first few words on the topic of innovation and if one were to read it out of context, it might sound like he is denigrating the business instead of promoting it. However, this was the reality of the situation. Culion Island was formerly known as a leprosy colony and was avoided by visitors. Mr. Jun also realized that the citizens were ashamed of such history and feeling that he had to do something about it, the innovation emerged. This became the main purpose of Kawil Tours, to raise the self-esteem of the locals by showing the rest of the world that Culion Island is not just a sight to behold, but a destination to experience

A diver, an outgoing local of Culion with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, a laggard from Manila and an ex-corporate employee might not exactly be the regular person’s definition of a dream team, but to Kawil Tours, it is. These four people started Kawil Tours from scratch and each took on a specific role in the business. The diver assessed the key tourist spots in the island, the outgoing local promoted the business in the island and did most of the PR work, the laggard was a true traveler in heart and really knew how tour services worked and lastly, Mr. Jun who used to be a regular corporate employee, handled the management and marketing side. Mr. Jun gave a lot of credit to the people in the community as well for giving them their support and even says that putting up such a business would be impossible without their consent.

Inspiration

“When we feel the magnitude of our potential, we strive to do more, we strive to be better and we become better persons.”

-Jun Tibi, co-founder, Kawil Tours

A volunteer mission to the island of Culion gave birth to this idea that made a positive impact on the lives of many people. These volunteers shared a great passion for helping out the community and had a great desire to continue their work in the most sustainable way possible. They believed so much in the potential that the island and the community had that they wanted to find a way to maximize them. Thus, the creation of this enterprise. What drove them was their vision of transforming the island of Culion, once called as the island of no return, to a tourist haven. They wanted to do this through connecting and empowering tourists with the locals and at the same time encourage environmental conservation. Even though its neighboring islands are more established and are visited by more tourists, they did not stop from striving harder. They knew that the other islands were not competitors, so they focused on making the once forgotten island to be recognized again.

Another factor that inspired them was the opportunity to educate people, especially the tourists, about Culion Island. They aim to establish a connection between the outsiders and the locals by immersing the visitors with the community through sustainable activities such as mangrove planting. Through hard work, patience, and determination, they were also able to experience the meaningful journey that they intended for the tourists and locals to enjoy.

Overall impact

Kawil Tours was able to create a sustainable impact on the community of Culion by establishing a stable economy, changing the perspective of the locals towards the island, and preserving the environment. Kawil was able to provide businesses with the additional inflow of money through their operations. Since the locals did not have any businesses, the innovation helped the community have a steady cash flow, which is considered a very big boost to their economy. In fact, the community earned Php 500,000 in 2015.

Kawil Tours enabled the locals in Culion Island to realize, see and appreciate the beauty of their island. Mr. Jun mentioned that it was challenging at first because there was a stigma present among the locals because they have never been to other places. He wanted the locals to realize that Culion Island is a beautiful place, a place worth promoting. Then, he thought of the best way to convince the locals, which is to invite tourists to the island. With this strategy, the locals saw how tourists discern and appreciate the island. For instance, after seeing the tourists enjoy themselves in the Marine Park, it changed the locals’ perspective from being ashamed to being proud of the island. In addition, Mr. Jun and his co-founder went to Batangas to seek a point of comparison. When they saw the difference and realized that Culion Island is better, they went back and convinced the locals that their island has more potential.

Kawil Tours also changed the environment of Culion Island. The environment is now better taken cared of, thus having a cleaner, greener and safer environment. For instance, Kawil Tours initiated, introduced and started the mangrove planting in the community, which was beneficial especially after Typhoon Yolanda. Typhoon Yolanda, internationally known as Typhoon Haiyan, is one of the most devastating storms that the Philippines has ever experienced. It destroyed natural resources and affected the livelihood of many people. The animals in the area were also more protected because Kawil had raised awareness about their safety.

The short-term goals of Kawil Tours included bringing more tourists to the island and continuing their operations. By achieving these, they can provide more employment and livelihood, as well as more profit for the organization. As for the long term, they wish to expand the operations and the reach of the organization’s services geographically.

Business benefit

Economically speaking, the greatest contribution of Kawil Tours to the Culion community is creating publicity and bringing in tourists to the island. Before Kawil Tours, no other tour companies offered a visit to Culion Island because, until recent years, it had always been known as a leper community. However, through the establishment and public relations work of Kawil Tours, Culion Island is slowly gaining more visitors and have been re-branded as a tourist destination.

Such publicity is good for the company but better for the locals. Due to the surge of visitors, local businesses have flourished because Kawil Tours also encourages the visitors to purchase from the locals. If they needed soap, then buy soap from the community. If they needed food, then food was available from the houses of the locals themselves. Some are even willing to accommodate visitors in their houses. The souvenir and local product businesses are also succeeding along with the divers and boatmen who facilitate the tour.

Because of such success, Mr. Jun and Kawil Tours have attracted several investors to help in expanding the business. They aim to offer more activities and explore other parts of the island in the future to create a more interactive tour and attract more visitors.

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Social and environmental benefit

Kawil Tours empowered the locals to be proud citizens of Culion Island by changing their perspective. In addition, they introduced tree-planting, which the locals thought was ineffective but realized its importance after the Typhoon Yolanda. They also raised awareness about the safety of the animals on the island. Through all these, they are close to achieving their goal of making Culion Island which was once an unknown place to many to what it is right now - a beautiful island that has the potential to create a positive name for itself in history.

Interview

Mr. Jun Tibi, Co-founder