SKETCHES OF SUMBA

On a poor but proud Indonesian island just an hour’s flight from Bali, small-scale sustainable tourism is offering a way forward for local communities. CHRISTOPHER P. HILL travels to western Sumba to visit the conscientious properties that are leading the way.

“CHECKING out, sir? Let me call for the Lamborghini.” For a moment, I’m bemused by the thought of a sleek Italian sports car purring up the gravel drive of this training hotel in the Sumbanese countryside. But the joke’s on me. With a giggle, the young lady skips off to fetch her colleague, who soon appears pushing a battered wooden luggage cart emblazoned with a hand-painted Lamborghini logo (you know, the one with the snorting bull). Cute. But then, the student staff at the Sumba Hospitality Foundation’s Maringi resort have been nothing if not good humored throughout my stay. They are, in fact, an amazing bunch of kids, especially considering that most of them didn’t speak a word of English or have any hospitality experience before starting their year at the…

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DestinAsian (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2022 - August 2022

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