excursion takes visitors away from the tourist areas to see the real Bali – that of Balinese daily life with its beautiful people and amazing culture. A typical Balieco Tour would often involve a memorable cycle from the Mount Batur volcano to Ubud, watching the sun rising from atop an active volcano, and trekking though rainforest, temples and paddy fields.
Having been in operations for more than a decade, the company remains committed to the triple bottom-line of people, environment and profit. Balieco Cycling strives to be both environmentally and culturally friendly. Visitors on the company’ s excursion are not only treated with an adventure but also an ecological, cultural, culinary and learning experience. Above all else, the company also recycles its paper and plastics.
“ I was trained as an environmental engineer, so I am aware that any eco-warrior must first come to terms with his own hypocrisy and mediocrity,” rationalises Kadek Adidharma, a company director of Balieco Cycling.“ Yes, we still burn fossil fuels. We cannot claim to be a carbon-neutral company as it is not technologically possible. We do our best to reduce our carbon footprint while educating our staff, partners, communities as well as our honoured guests, inviting all to join us on our journey towards environmental stewardship together.”
The company goes the distance in taking care of not only their own employees but also the local communities in the areas where they conduct their business. Its 24 employees are remunerated well above market rates, partake in profit sharing as well as being rewarded with other generous allowances.
Balieco Cycling also does its part towards the communities and villages where they conduct their tours with contribution such as sponsoring the local football and volleyball teams; donation to local charities, festivals, religious ceremonies and coorganising community programmes as well as lending financial assistance for temple renovation and local roads construction and maintenance.
The success of the company had resulted in many competitors trying
“ I was trained as an environmental engineer, so I am aware that any eco-warrior must first come to terms with his own hypocrisy and mediocrity.”
Kadek Adidharma, a company director of Balieco Cycling.
to adopt its concepts, ideas and even brand names. While imitation is a form of flattery, Kadek is concerned that some of these companies may not share Balieco Cycling ideals, ethics and eye for details. The company is trying to address this by providing its tour guides with“ Bali Eco Tour” branded uniforms and highlighting this issues on their website. These measures are taken to ensure that guests experience its original authentic eco-educational cycling tour to the fullest.
Mohammad Husain Mohd Dawoed is the Vice President at the Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research( CEDAR), a wholly owned subsidiary of the SME Bank Malaysia. He can be reached at hussain @ smebank. com. my.
ISSUE 2: 2016 | ASEAN COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS 69