The Sustainable Destinations Top 100 Award is an annual Green Destinations Foundation programme aimed at casting the spotlight on sustainable tourism practices from destinations around the world and this year that list includes four Indonesian villages, two in Yogyakarta and two in Bali.

Tourism management

Destinations are reviewed and judged by members of the Top 100 International Committee and country experts coordinated by Green Destinations who look for innovation and good practices in tourism management.

Penglipuran has embraced modern life but managed to hold on to tradition. Image by Ruben Hutabarat on Unsplash.

Valerina Daniel, Expert Minister of Tourism in the Field of Sustainable Tourism Development of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, told local news wires Indonesia's four winners were included in the categories of Environmental Conservation, Economic Utilization for Local Communities, and Socio-Culture.

Pemuteran and Penglipuran

The Top 100 International Committee stresses that no destination is fully sustainable and all of the listed and recognized top 100-destinations have important issues that still need to be solved.

Penglipuran is in the Regency of Bangli in Bali's central highlands. Image by Kolibri5 on Pixabay.

The two Balinese villages in the top 100 are Pemuteran on Bali's North coast and Penglipuran in the Regency of Bangli in Bali's central highlands.

Balancing tradition and sustainability

Dadang Rizki Ratman, Deputy of Tourism Destination Development from Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy explained Penglipuran was included in the top 100 because the village was successfully able to maintain its traditions and environmental sustainability. "Even though the majority of the population has embraced modern life, the traditional Balinese nuance does not disappear and now Penglipuran is one of the popular tourist destinations in Indonesia," he said.

Pemuteran community's ingenuity and grassroots organizations breathed new life into local coral reefs. Image by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.

The villagers of Pemuteran, on the other hand were recognized for transforming their environment "from a terrifying example of coral reef decimation to being the largest coral reef nursery restoration project on Earth, (and a) global model for ocean conservation and community resilience" says Sustainable Top 100.

Stepping up to the plate

The local community's ingenuity and grassroots organizations "breathed new life into local coral reefs, jump starting the local ecotourism industry, instilled a conservation ethic, and created sustainable economic opportunities for future generations."

At a time the world is becoming increasingly aware of the need to be more environmentally conscious, businesses are being encouraged to step up to the plate.

Indonesia's four winners were included in the categories of Environmental Conservation, Economic Utilization for Local Communities, and Socio-Culture. Image by Andy Barski.

More collaboration needed

According to Bali Post, Chairperson of the Sustainable Tourism Board, I Gede Ardika, underlined the role of stakeholders, especially those in and related to tourism, who are committed to implementing sustainable tourism standards, so more destinations in Indonesia run on sustainable principles.

"We need collaboration with local governments and tourism actors and champions in the tourist village or tourism destination," Ardika said.

The other two villages in Indonesia recognized by the awards are Nglanggeran Tourism Village and Pentingsari, both in Yogyakarta, central Java.

At a glance:

Countries recognized as the top sustainable destinations in the world

Bhutan

Slovenia (31 destinations)

Netherlands (10 destinations)

Portugal (9 destinations)

Spain (7 destinations)

Indonesia (4 destinations)

Netherlands - Caribbean (3 destinations)

Australia (2 destinations)

Canada (2 destinations)

Seychelles (2 destinations)

Taiwan (2 destinations)

United States of America (2 destinations)

Cambodia (1 destination)

Croatia (1 destination)

Cyprus (1 destination)

D.R. Congo (1 destination)

Ecuador (1 destination)

Finland (1 destination)

Germany (1 destination)

Guyana (1 destination)

Italy (1 destination)

Japan (1 destination)

Jordan (1 destination)

Kazakhstan (1 destination)

Malta (1 destination)

Nepal (1 destination)

Romania (1 destination)

Sweden (1 destination)

United Kingdom (1 destination)

Sources: Bali Post, Sustainable Top 100, Kompas, OECD

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