Banjarmasin takes a step towards community empowerment and sustainable tourism with the launch of ‘Greenlish Tourism’—an English Village blending eco-tourism and language education.
The Banjarmasin City Government, South Kalimantan, is collaborating with the Student Executive Board (Badan Eksekutif Mahasiswa or BEM) of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin, to establish a tourism-based English Village.
The English Village, dubbed ‘Greenlish Tourism’, was officially launched by Banjarmasin Deputy Mayor Ananda on Saturday morning, 26th of July. Ananda stated that this initiative is not merely a ceremonial programme, but part of a long-term strategy to develop a city rooted in citizen and youth participation.
“We are promoting this [village] not only as an eco-tourism area, but also as a community English learning centre,” Ananda underscored.
The ‘Greenlish Tourism’ programme is designed in several stages, beginning with basic English training such as speaking and writing, conversation practice with tourists, and the creation of visual materials and multilingual information boards in the village area. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the area will also be trained to serve foreign tourists using simple English communication skills.
“Later, we will create visual materials, multilingual information boards, and special training for local MSMEs to enable them to serve foreign tourists,” Ananda continued.
According to Ananda, Banjarmasin City’s current development vision is towards a smart, inclusive, and sustainable river city. Therefore, he emphasised that development is not solely about infrastructure but also about community empowerment as well as fostering a culture of literacy.
“We believe that development that directly involves residents and students will have a far greater impact. This is not an instant project, but rather a sustainable movement,” Ananda added.
Irwan Setiawan, the advisor and coordinator of the Student Executive Board of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Lambung Mangkurat University, explained that ‘Greenlish Tourism’ is a revitalisation programme for the Sungai Bilu Green Village area, using an ecotourism approach combined with basic English language education for residents.
“Through this activity, we want to strengthen student leadership and management skills through a direct service model for the community. Our focus this time is improving the quality of the tourist village, particularly in terms of communication with foreign tourists,” Setiawan explained.
He added that in recent months, the Sungai Bilu area has begun to attract international tourists. Unfortunately, the locals are not yet accustomed to greeting or interacting with those tourists in basic English.
“Simple things like saying ‘hello’ or explaining a place in English could increase tourists’ interest in staying longer. This is where our simple curriculum, which focuses on speaking, writing, and English for eco-tourism, comes in,” Setiawan concluded.