Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine April 2019 | Page 126

Business / Interview
Hospitality with impact
“In my opinion, as a sustainable
business concept, the tourism business
cannot be separated from surrounding
social elements. Staying at a hotel that
has no interaction with the surrounding
nature and the community feels like
staying at a cold, pretentious
lighthouse. At Plataran, we always
involve the local community, including
local SMEs, and local culture as a way
to attract tourists,” says Yozua.
His concern for nature is reflected in
Plataran L’Harmonie, a flora and fauna
conservation forest in western Bali
where guests can see animals living
freely, a place Yozua refers to as ‘God’s
Secret Courtyard’. In 2016 and 2017,
Plataran L’Harmonie was listed as one
of the world’s Top 100 Sustainable
Destinations by Green Destinations,
and in 2018 it received the Luxury
Forest Resort award from World Luxury
Hotel Awards.
This year, the Plataran CEO is in full
swing with his ‘hospitality with impact’
campaign, an appeal for the tourism
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“I entered the tourism business unintentionally; we
never expected it to develop into a whole group of
hotels and restaurants.”
industry to consider the social
and natural impacts of every tourist
activity. For Yozua, this is not merely
a hashtag, but an approach that
permeates his business philosophy,
tested over a decade of experience
expanding Plataran.
“Business and social impact are like the
chicken and the egg. For me, business
comes first, so that afterwards it can
have a social impact. This has been my
principle for 10 years building Plataran
and this will continue to be our
business philosophy in the future,” says
Yozua, who chose the phrase ‘A True
Indonesian Icon’ as the Plataran tagline.
The entrepreneur is still thinking big:
he aims to further popularise
Indonesia as an international
destination through its iconic tourism
sites, while ensuring visitors enjoy an
authentic and timeless Indonesian
experience. Ultimately, he wants his
projects to be remembered as a
home-grown effort that has a positive
impact on Indonesian communities.
As his campaign gathers pace, we
can only watch and wait to see
what this intriguing Indonesian
trailblazer does next.