Why did you decide to study Sustainable Tourism in Kleve?
I realized very early on that travel is my passion: discovering new countries and getting to know different languages, cultures, and traditions led me to initially enroll in the Department of Cultural and Economic Studies at the University of Passau. However, I soon realized that the university’s approach was too theoretical for my individual needs. While searching for more practice-oriented universities and degree programs, I came across HSRW in Kleve, which at the time offered the first bachelor’s degree program in Sustainable Tourism in Germany. That sounded very interesting to me, so I applied.
What was the topic of your thesis? Were there any interesting findings?
In my sixth semester, I went to an island in eastern Indonesia called Flores for an internship. In recent years, this island had developed into a booming tourist destination in Indonesia, which is why I decided to conduct my research there. My topic focused specifically on waste management in the tourism industry on Flores. I’m not sure if the topic and the results were that interesting to readers, but personally, I gained a very good understanding of the local government structure, met inspiring people and organizations, and began to grasp the bigger picture. I’m still in touch with—and even collaborate with—some of the people I met during that time; so for my purposes, I would say the overall outcome was very interesting.
Last year, you co-founded the social enterprise “Wise Steps Travel” in Indonesia. Please tell us about the path you took toward this career after graduation.
It has indeed been quite a journey for me, and by now it’s more than just a career. Indonesia was the first Asian country I ever visited. I lived with a local family for six months in a very small town in the mountainous region of Flores. To be honest, it took me a while to get used to the different standards of living, the food, the culture, the language, etc., but I embraced it, and that’s how I was able to truly experience local life. Within a few months, I had learned enough of the language to get by a little, since English wasn’t usually an option.
At the time, I was working at a local travel agency. One day, we drove to Bali for the national travel fair “Bali & Beyond.” There, my boss introduced me to someone who was, at the time, the supervisor of a woman who would later become my wife. At this point, the professional story turns more into a personal one.
I’ll skip the details, but 2015 was a pretty eventful year for me. I finished my studies, moved to Indonesia, got married, and found a position at an NGO focused on empowering women through training programs in tourism in Bali. It wasn’t the best job, but I learned a lot and, more importantly, I was able to build a solid network.
After a few months, I realized I needed something more professional, so I joined Buffalo Tours, a DMC operating in eleven Asian countries. Over the course of two years, I became the Business Development & Product Manager as well as a consultant for responsible tourism and helped the company operate more responsibly in its day-to-day operations: that is, to avoid waste, reduce emissions, and reinvest in staff development.
At the same time, my wife was working at a large Swiss NGO on the development of training programs in the tourism sector. After many long discussions, we came to the conclusion that NGOs often use their resources inefficiently, and most companies are too profit-driven to truly make a difference. So we decided to start a social travel company where we could control our positive and negative impacts on local communities and the environment while still generating enough profit to make a living. Wise Steps Travel was founded in November 2017, and both my wife and I quit our previous jobs in December 2017.
Can you describe how it felt when you made the decision to start your own business?
We had both always dreamed of having our own business through which we could support others and protect the environment. When we finally made the decision, it was exciting but also a little scary, since it was uncharted territory for us and there was so much to learn. Fortunately, we had a lot of support from friends and family; we took a six-month course in social entrepreneurship to get up to speed and gain a foothold quickly, and we attended the ITB (International Tourism Exchange) in Berlin in March. I like to think of that as the moment we truly became entrepreneurs.
What is the idea behind Wise Steps Travel?
The idea behind Wise Steps Travel is to transform the travel industry in Indonesia. That may be a bit ambitious, but it’s very close to our hearts, so we have to give it a try. One of Indonesia’s largest industries is tourism. Destinations often prioritize quantity over quality, leading to uncontrolled and poorly managed mass tourism at many sites. This undeniably has negative impacts on local communities, such as habitat destruction, social unrest, and other emerging issues that are difficult to reverse. Consequently, the Indonesian tourism industry will literally destroy itself if nothing changes.
Wise Steps Travel aims to offer unforgettable yet responsible experiences to demonstrate that this approach can amplify positive impacts and reduce negative ones, all while generating profits. Our goal is to prove that responsible tourism actually enriches personal experiences, and we want to inspire others to follow our example. Of course, our customers come first (though not at the expense of our responsibility toward the local population and the environment), but so far the feedback has been fantastic.
Can you tell us more about your typical daily routine?
A large part of my time goes into answering emails, creating itineraries, and organizing tours and experiences. In addition, we’re still in the process of setting up our standard operating procedures, systems (e.g., accounting software), workflows, key performance indicators, etc. Since we have multiple business units, we’re also working on individual business plans and marketing strategies. Aside from that, I’m constantly on the lookout for new partnership opportunities, developing new products, and writing monthly articles for our website.
What challenges do you face as an entrepreneur?
I think what makes it both interesting and challenging is the breadth of knowledge (theoretical and practical) you need to have. Especially in the beginning, you don’t have the resources to hire experts, so you’re forced to do everything yourself: web development and SEO strategies, financial management, local tax regulations, partnership agreements, insurance, local suppliers, sustainability standards, marketing, etc.
As an entrepreneur, you have to be knowledgeable and willing to keep learning. That can be exhausting and draining. In my opinion, passion is a very important way to recharge your batteries. If you’re only working on short-term projects, that’s fine, but starting a business is a marathon, and in the long run, you have to be completely convinced of what you’re doing to be successful.
Do you plan to stay in Indonesia permanently?
I’m not sure yet. One reason for starting our own company was to be more flexible—not just in terms of time, but also location. For now, we plan to stay here and focus on growing our business. Maybe one day we can connect our ideas with Germany. Who knows? We’ll see what the future brings.
Date of the interview: December 2018