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THE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING ARTS AND CRAFTS FOR THE ECOTOURISM MARKET ON KALEDUPA

Introduction

Operation Wallacea have been bringing ecotourists to Hoga and Kaledupa for the last six years.  Whilst crafts are available for sale to visitors on Hoga, there is no craft market developed by local people on Kaledupa.  Potentially, this could provide a substantial income for the local community and this project concentrates on developing arts and crafts as a specific income generator.      

Aim

To assess the potential for local arts and crafts to benefit as a result of ecotourism.  

Objectives

-Determine the level of demand amongst ecotourists for local handicrafts. 

-Determine the extent of the existing arts and crafts sector including:

            -Nature of products available

            -Level of participation within and between villages

-Profitability 

-The potential for expansion of arts and crafts, involving the range of products and suitable institutions through which products could be marketed.

Methodology

A questionnaire was compiled for volunteers staying on Hoga, where there are handicrafts on sale to visitors, to gain an insight into volunteer demand for local arts, crafts and souvenirs.  A total of 100 questionnaires were answered to gain a representative sample.  Primarily to find out whether the volunteers had already bought souvenirs and how much they had spent; or which crafts they were most interested in buying and how much they were prepared to spend in total on handicrafts during their stay on Hoga.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the local government including the Kepale Desa of Ambeua; the leader of the local women’s group (PKK); and the leader of the Koperasi.  I had also hoped to interview the head of culture for Ambeua, however she was not in the area for the duration of my stay.   A selection of semi-structured interviews were also carried out with traditional craft makers in Ambeua.

 A number of themes were concentrated on throughout the interviews:  The current situation in Ambeua relating to arts and crafts; the current market for arts and crafts; ability and willingness of local people to become involved in arts and crafts development; and existing individuals and/or institutions which could represent and develop selling arts and crafts to ecotourists.

A focus group was also used, involving members of the women’s group (PKK) of Ambeua.

Preliminary results

The volunteer questionnaire results showed that there is a high level of interest amongst the ecotourists in buying local arts, crafts and souvenirs and the majority are prepared to spend from 100 000 – 200 000 Rupiah.  Initially, it can then be said that in terms of a market, a craft market on Kaledupa is viable.

The responses of the local people varied in terms of their ability as well as their willingness to develop arts and crafts.  Some showed a strong interest in developing their skills and being involved in a craft market, whilst others showed little or no interest in such developments for varying reasons.  Therefore, to fully determine the potential for local arts and crafts on Kaledupa to benefit from ecotourism, further analysis of the data gathered is required. 

Dissemination of results

The findings of this study will be presented in an undergraduate dissertation entitled The potential for developing arts and crafts for the ecotourism market on Kaledupa will be produced by Louise Sowden, University of Keele by May 2003.