Experience and the Impact of Voluntourism at Samboja Lestari Orangutan Rehabilitation Center

Abstract

Voluntourism is a form of alternative tourism that growing rapidly in recent years, mixing voluntary works and tourism activity in developing countries, including Indonesia. Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), alongside with The Great Project (TGP) are organizations that managed this program. The objective of the research was to analyze how program implemented, identify voluntourists‟ characteristics, motives, perceptions, and satisfactions towards the program, also the impact of the voluntourism program. The research was conducted in Samboja Lestari Orangutan Rehabilitation Center on June 1 –July 23 2018 through questionnaires, interview, and field observation. Voluntourist activities were mainly prepares food (for orangutan and sunbear) and enrichment on weekdays, tourism activity on weekends. The biggest groups of voluntourist were female, UK nationality, youth and late adult age class, and working on finance. Environment aspect was the main motivation and benefit for voluntourists, while staff quality and supervision were aspect that received best perception and satisfaction from voluntourists. Various impacts from voluntourism program were received local staff, BOSF, TGP, orangutan and sunbear.