About The Course
For tourists all over the world, the island of Bali in Indonesia is a “tropical paradise” and one of the world’s great romantic destinations with over 5.5 million tourists visiting the island each year. As a result, over the last three decades, the tourism and hospitality industry has overtaken agriculture and fishery as Bali’s number one source of income. However, the economic success brought about by tourism has come at a high price. Overdevelopment has resulted in environmental degradation and disruption to the local ecology and complex systems of irrigation. Bali’s capital city of Denpasar has been experiencing high levels of urbanisation and over-crowding, and traditional occupations such as farming and fishing are at risk of dying out.
Looking at the case study of Bali and in collaboration with the Earth Company, a Bali-based social enterprise aimed at supporting local sustainable tourism initiatives, this overseas project experience is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of mass-tourism in Bali. Students are then asked to help the Earth Company solve the real-life issue of how they may raise awareness towards sustainable tourism among travellers from Singapore and beyond.
Reflection
I embarked on an SMU-X Overseas course to Bali, Indonesia, under the Applied Social Sciences in Global Asia which revolved around the theme of Sustainable Tourism and Social Innovation.
The SMU-X Overseas course has broadened my horizons through the exposure to diverse cultural perspectives and sustainability initiatives within eco-tourism. I was particularly intrigued by the Balinese way of life, where they focused on the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana. This philosophy comprises of the interconnected relationship of harmony between God, people and nature. The destinations we headed to includes farms, villages, cultural spots, mountains and coral reefs where we learnt many insightful pointers from the passionate local heroes of the respective environments, immersing ourselves through the lenses of a Balinese.
As a whole, these learning points have completely changed my views about what eco- tourism and sustainability is about. While there is an imagery that eco is related to all things nature and just that, sustainability in actual fact, is deeply rooted within the hearts of the people, culture and a way of life.
Being warmly welcomed and greeted by flower wreaths and coconut drinks during our site visits is a profound memory that I will never forget. The love towards the environment is very apparent where its culture is inspired by agriculture with little bits of nature in every aspect.
Thank You Notes to Benefactors
I am immensely thankful to the benefactors to have granted me the SMU-X Opportunity financial award. The opportunity has opened me up to the wealth of experiences in Bali. It was an unforgettable trip of fond memories in which I have forged meaningful relationships not only with my new found friends, but also a deeper connection intrapersonally, spiritually and towards nature.
Inspired, I will continue to open myself up to similar experiences in the future during my academic tenure at SMU. Being a freshman student myself, this experience has given me a great start to my university life, in which I look forward to the abundant opportunities available in times to come. With the deepest heartfelt gratitude, thank you once again for the meaningful contributions towards the study mission grant, providing me with generous support that has aided my goals!
