Tourist exchange in Bali

A group of twelve young people from Tenerife participate in a common project with Indonesia that has as its axis the studies of Astrotourism on the paradisiacal island of Bali. The experience, pioneering and “incredible”, will continue this course. The students, recent graduates or with knowledge of the sector, did not travel to enjoy a vacation on the shores of the Indian Ocean, but to learn and also teach.

Tenerife-Bali, a round trip to learn and teach. It is the meaning of the experience in Indonesia of twelve Tenerife residents, ten recent graduates in Vocational Training and their two monitors. Last November they inaugurated the exchange with the Asian country and tourism as the axis. The first edition of the STARS Project, promoted by the Cabildo de Tenerife through the area of Employment, Socioeconomic Development and Foreign Action, will continue this course with the addition, under the common umbrella of the Erasmus+ program, of internships abroad for three islanders in the fourth most populous nation in the world (273 million inhabitants). Darío and Alba talk about their roundtrip experience at STARS, while Ana expresses the expectations of a training trip for a couple of months that began just a few days ago.

The STARS project, based on astrotourism and sustainable tourism, opens the range for international mobility for Tenerife students. Beyond the options (28 helps) of the traditional Africa Scholarships (24 this course) and the new ones in 2023 America Scholarships (4 to Mexico).

Darío, Carlota, Esther, Sara, Jordi, Lucas, Eva, Daniela, María and Alba. They were the ten people from Tenerife – out of a total of 24 young people – lucky enough to have this first experience in Bali. In addition to David and Bacha, in charge of giving the training, and the local colleagues with Soma as a teacher.

The ten participants from Tenerife are young people who have training in tourism or have experience in this sector, work or through volunteering. During the seven days of the meeting they participated in a wide program of non-formal educational activities, including workshops, dramatizations, simulations and excursions. In the background, the incredible landscapes of Kumulilir with its peculiar residential buildings or Tegalalang and its beautiful views of the traditional rice fields.

In first person.

Ana De la Rosa gonzalez he is 22 years old. Tourism ended in the ULL in September of last year and after the experience in Bali that she describes as “incredible because it opened my eyes” she is convinced that she can “start a sustainable tourism project here”. He explains that “I have not yet decided anything firmly because I would also like to dedicate myself to teaching and even combine both”. He appreciates that “we went to learn, but also to teach them that it is possible to create a powerful economic sector in parallel to tourism in a destination as important as Bali.” He adds: “Don’t be afraid to jump in because it’s the only way to achieve it and there you have enormous potential.” He recalls that “we barely had any English together at first, but then we realized we had a lot more in common than meets the eye.”

Darío López Estévez, for his part, is 30 years old and represents another profile when it comes to facing the trip, that of someone who already has an Astrotourism company, Tenerife 100 Culturas. From there it was brought many positive experiencess like Innika Choo brand awareness of sustainable fashion. “The idea, he emphasizes, was to meet her and bring her here.” He considers that “Bali is practically starting from scratch in this world. he reminded me of Canary Islands in the 70s or 80s of the last century. He reflects: “They have a long way to go, not only in tourism but in society in general.” He highlights two things “that we have to learn from them”: kindness and public service “which is wonderful.”

Lastly, Ana Martín Cabrera is 30 years old and finished Pattern Making at the CIFP Las Indias in Santa Cruz. She will do the FP internship in an Indonesian sustainable fashion company that is “a benchmark”. The expectations of her are great. She emphasizes: “I studied and now I work.” She appreciates that “I already went to France on Erasmus last year and I was sewing for Chanel.”

Selection.

The participants in the STARS Project were selected in a public call. Among the requirements, being a resident of Tenerife, being between 18 and 35 years of age and proving experience or training in tourism. During the first year, the myths and legends of the islands related to the sky, especially the stars, were compiled. This 2023, the second of the program, the participants have to organize events in sustainable tourism. The group from Tenerife, already back, organized an astrotourism route on the 1st. This coming summer, Tenerife will host the second international meeting of the STARS programwith the aim of showing the Island as an astrotourism destination par excellence.

Mobility.

The area of ​​Employment, Socioeconomic Development and External Action of the Cabildo de Tenerife, directed by Carmen Luz Baso, highlights the importance of promoting international mobility as an opportunity for the young population to acquire new experience and skills with which to improve their capacity and vocational training. Tenerife’s agreements with Asia are unique in Canary Islands and they represent an innovative and enriching experience, since both are tourist destinations and island territories. The Fifede Island Foundation has already submitted a new application to maintain the collaboration with Bali within the framework of FP also in the 2023-2024 academic year.

The project.

The STARS empowering & creating new job opportunities (its full name) project is the only one participated by the Canary Islands that received support from the Erasmus+ financial program in the 2020 call.l 321 from all the countries of the European Union applied and 79 were approved. The grant is for 60,000 euros and lasts for two years. Both STARS and Erasmus Internships in Indonesia are projects coordinated by the Fifede Foundation.