World Wide Fund (WWF) Indonesia, through the “Signing Blue” initiative, has set up partnership with 100 companies in the marine tourism sector to support the sustainability of coastal and marine resources and increase the blue economy in Indonesia.
Imam Musthofa, Director of Marine and Fisheries Program at WWF Indonesia, said the meeting with marine tourism companies, which discussed “Advancing Responsible Marine Tourism Practices”, was held at the Bali Dynasty Resort on Sunday, February 2, 2025. The meeting aims to share experiences and knowledge about the role of tourism actors, especially marine tourism, to support the sustainability of coastal and marine resources, as well as increase the blue economy in Indonesia.
Signing Blue started in 2015 upon consideration that marine tourism is a significant blue economic opportunity for natural resource management. More than 100 companies in the marine tourism sector, ranging from accommodation, dive operators, to recreational vessels from various locations in Indonesia, are associated with the initiative.
One of the standards that Signing Blue refers to is the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which is an organization that sets and manages global standards for sustainable tourism.
“On the other hand, tourism activities have an ecological footprint or impact on the environment. So Signing Blue is here as a forum to accompany tourism actors to take one step further in starting responsible marine tourism practices,” Imam said in a statement as quoted on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
Through the Signing Blue mentoring system, members have succeeded in increasing 24 percent of responsible marine tourism practices from various important aspects such as environment, social, economic, cultural and management effectiveness.
“One of the main programs that supports this is the Marine Tourism Improvement Program (MTIP), where WWF-Indonesia accompanies the technical approach process to help members improve the quality of their marine tourism, with an emphasis on sustainability and effective management,” Imam said.
Herdi Andrariladchi, Assurance Strategy Manager, Lead Assessor of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), cited that currently there are only two hotels in Indonesia that have received GSTC certification.
In fact, there are already quite a lot of hotels in Indonesia that have implemented sustainable practices. However, there is no adequate evidence of the activities that have been carried out, which affects the certification process. In the near future, Signing Blue will reach out to more marine tourism actors in Indonesia. It is hoped that this program can realize the best management and practices of marine tourism that support the sustainability of ecosystems of Indonesian coastal areas and seas, as well as support the improvement of the blue economy.
