NEWS
From Crops to Care: ECCO Foundation Intersects Agrotourism and Hospitality to Fuel Lombok’s Rural Economy
As global travelers increasingly seek authentic, sustainable experiences, rural villages have a unique opportunity to turn their agricultural heritage into viable economic drivers. Throughout 2024, ECCO Foundation launched a series of interconnected Agrotourism Initiatives, Youth Hospitality Workshops, and International Digital Seminars designed to position Lombok’s communities at the forefront of the global eco-tourism market.
By equipping local communities with both hospitality skills and digital marketing tools, ECCO Foundation ensures that tourism revenue flows directly back into the hands of local farmers and village youth.
Bridging Communities Through Youth Hospitality Training
On July 28, 2024, ECCO Foundation facilitated an intensive Hospitality Training program in Lantan Village, Central Lombok. This unique initiative brought together youth from Genggelang, members of the local Tourism Awareness Group (POKDARWIS Solah Lantan), and dedicated ECCO volunteers.
Rather than teaching simple service techniques, the training focused on leveraging digital tourism platforms to showcase local natural landmarks, secure bookings, and preserve regional heritage.
Cross-Village Collaboration
The event hosted 35 active youth participants, creating a sustainable network of young tourism professionals who share cross-regional resources, strategies, and eco-tourism marketing insights.
Hand-on Agrotourism: Curating the "Crop-to-Visitor" Experience
In Genggelang Village, ECCO Foundation worked alongside residents to design immersive agrotourism travel packages. Over 30 local citizens, including independent farmers and small business owners, participated in structural workshops to map out safe, highly engaging walking tours through native agricultural fields.
These curated packages are actively purchased by both domestic and international tourists, providing smallholder farmers with a secondary source of sustainable, predictable income.
Connecting Local Farmers to Global Trends
To scale this local success internationally, ECCO Foundation hosted a specialized, two-part webinar series on November 16 and 30, 2024, entitled “From Crop to Care: Where Agrotourism Meets Food and Skincare Trends.”
The digital workshops featured a panel of local practitioners alongside international sustainability experts. The sessions educated rural participants on how raw village crops—like organic cocoa and natural botanicals—can directly tap into the booming global organic skincare and wellness tourism sectors, giving local farmers the insights needed to negotiate fair trade prices on a global scale.