InJourney Hospitality House: Local Heroes Delivers Human Resource Development for Sustainable Tourism

The state-owned aviation and tourism holding company, PT Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia (Persero), or InJourney, is holding the InJourney Hospitality House: Local Heroes as a concrete manifestation of developing tourism human resources (HR) in leading tourism destinations.

This program is specifically designed to prepare local heroes who can inspire and create change in their respective regions, particularly in the tourism development sector. Held from October 20-24, the program attracted 17 selected participants from nine tourism destinations: Lake Toba, Borobudur, Labuan Bajo, Mandalika, Prambanan, Belitung, Karimun Jawa, Banyuwangi, and Bali. 

The InJourney Hospitality House program is a key pillar in the strategy for developing professional and sustainable tourism human resources. Participants receive training in basic hospitality , the psychology of service excellence , basic English language training for hospitality , and the art of storytelling for tourism villages, designed to highlight the local wisdom of each destination.

In addition to classroom learning, the local heroes were also invited to take a field trip to Borobudur Temple, the Borobudur Village Economic Center (Balkondes), and to visit various local MSMEs in the Borobudur area to see firsthand the practice of community-based sustainable destination development.

InJourney's Director of Human Resources and Digital, Herdy Harman, stated that through this program, InJourney believes that local communities are at the forefront of providing the best possible experience for tourists. This program is also part of InJourney's strategy to strengthen the national tourism ecosystem in an integrated manner, not only through infrastructure development but also through improving the quality of services based on local wisdom. 

"This program demonstrates our commitment to engaging and empowering communities, ensuring that the spirit of wholehearted service thrives throughout the country. We equip them with the competencies and confidence to become inspiring agents of change in their respective regions," Herdy added in an official statement on Monday (October 27, 2025).

Fajar, one of the Local Heroes from the Borobudur area, said, "InJourney Hospitality House is God's answer to my need to make an impact. This program opened the door for me to serve the community and prove that my homeland, Borobudur, is a treasure trove of gold that can be a source of prosperity for the local community."

Furthermore, Marolop Banurea, a local hero from Lake Toba, revealed that through the InJourney Hospitality House: Local Heroes program, he realized small details in service that had previously gone unnoticed but significantly impacted tourist comfort. This training motivated him and the other local heroes to continuously improve service quality and provide hospitality to tourists.

For your information, InJourney Hospitality House was first implemented in 2023 as a commitment to increase the capacity of local tourism actors in supporting international-scale events such as the F1 Powerboat and Aquabike Jetski Championship on Lake Toba, MotoGP in Mandalika, the Waisak Full Moon Festival in Borobudur, and Golo Mori Jazz in Labuan Bajo. To date, 82 training batches have been held and successfully empowered more than 5.000 individuals in over 20 cities. 

This program spans the entire tourism ecosystem, from village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), tourism groups (Pokdarwis), and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to rental drivers and homestay managers . This program is not just training, but a movement to create a new, welcoming, world-class image for Indonesian tourism.

The sustainability of this program has also received recognition from the 2025 TJSL & CSR Award from BUMN Track. InJourney won the highest award (platinum) in the social pillar category of state-owned and publicly listed companies. 

InJourney hopes that through IHH, local heroes can ignite the spirit of wholehearted service based on typical Indonesian hospitality, thereby creating positive change in their regions and increasing the competitiveness of each destination.