Jakarta– Pela Tourism Village, developed through the community development program or CSR of PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM), has successfully won the Indonesia Tourism Village Achievement Award at the Wonderful Indonesia Impact appreciation event and the launch of the Indonesia tourism guidebook, "Wonderful Indonesia Outlook 2024/2025," held at the Fairmont Hotel, Jakarta on September 19, 2024.

Competing against 33 other tourism villages, Pela Tourism Village secured a spot among the six Indonesia Tourism Village Achievement Award winners in Wonderful Impact Indonesia. Pela Tourism Village demonstrated its excellence in managing local tourism potential.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia/Kemenparekraf announced a new commitment at the launch of Wonderful Indonesia Outlook 2024/2025, titled "Wonderful Indonesia Impact," which serves as a strategy to enhance tourist interest in Indonesian tourism.

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, Sandiaga Uno, stated that the development of the tourism sector aims to create more jobs and provide higher income for the community. "The hope is that next year, tourism can not only open up large employment opportunities but also bring profits to the creative economy community," Sandiaga remarked.

One way to attract tourists to Indonesia is to develop tourism at the village level. Therefore, the Wonderful Indonesia Impact appreciation aims to encourage innovation and creativity from tourism villages in Indonesia. Pela Tourism Village, representing East Kalimantan Province, is the winner.

Representing Pela Tourism Village and also a local hero and the chairman of the tourism awareness group/kelompok sadar wisata (pokdarwis), Alimin, expressed that Pela Tourism Village is environmentally friendly through efforts in environmental preservation, such as the conservation of the Mahakam river dolphin. "The conservation of the Mahakam river dolphin is one of the tourist attractions of Pela Village, which not only promotes the tourism sector but also protects endemic species in the Mahakam waters, impacting the environment," Alimin stated.

Alimin mentioned that this award was achieved due to the achievements of Pela Village, which is among the 47 villages with sustainable tourism certification and has received various other awards over the years. Additionally, Pela Tourism Village has introduced an innovation by establishing a fishermen's museum, attracting tourists.

"We won this award because Pela Tourism Village is one of the 47 tourism villages that received sustainable tourism certification, which also won the Tourism Village award in 2022, securing third place in the institutional category. Perhaps this was a consideration for the ministry, as we also have innovations, particularly the fishermen's museum where guests can learn about fishing equipment and information about the Mahakam river dolphin," Alimin said.

PHM's General Manager, Setyo Sapto Edi, added that this achievement demonstrates PHM's commitment to implementing innovative and sustainable CSR programs as part of the company's commitment to adhering to Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. "Like in Pela Tourism Village, PHM continues to develop CSR programs aligned with social mapping results in the villages within the company's operational areas to ensure the utilization of local potential, generating positive impacts and sustainability," Setyo noted.

Moreover, the pokdarwis of Pela Village collaborated with RASI (Rare Aquatic Species Indonesia) to create batik featuring dolphin motifs, which serve as an icon and tourist attraction for East Kalimantan Province, specifically reflecting the identity of Pela Village as a special interest tourism village that plays a key role in the conservation of the Mahakam river dolphin.

This consistency and dedication have led PHM to receive recognition and awards at the regional, national, and international levels for successfully implementing the company's CSR programs.

PHM is a PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI) subsidiary that manages upstream oil and gas operations and businesses using Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in the Mahakam Working Area in East Kalimantan. In collaboration with SKK Migas, PHM, its subsidiaries, and affiliates continue to innovate and apply technology to produce safe, efficient, reliable, compliant, and environmentally friendly energy to realize #KalimantanEnergyForIndonesia. For more information about PHI, visit https://phi.pertamina.com.