About Royal Sembahulun

My name is Royal Sembahulun. I’m the proprietor of Lombok Green Nature. I am working in the tour and travel business; besides that, I am an activator who has been active in the campaigning of environmental, social, and economic issues in West Nusa Tenggara since 2004. In 2003, I joined the Nature Adorer Organization, which focuses on environmental conservation. In 2006, the organization appointed or selected me as its secretary. Along the way, I began to consider combining the environmental sector with tourism. Initially, as a tour guide, I pursued a career in tourism, specializing in trekking to Mount Rinjani. This marks the beginning of my understanding of the tourism industry and its benefits for changing society and the economy.

In 2008, I initiated a significant movement by founding an organization named Sembalun.
I’m working at the Community Development Center with a few Sembalun youths. Since its inception, I have served as the organization’s director. We focus on environmental, social, economic, and non-formal education for the locals. We began by engaging in volunteer work and enhancing the skills of the locals. Volunteers taught the Free English Course, a fundamental skill, to foster tourism development in Sembalun and West Nusa Tenggara.

In 2010, I advocated for the rights of laborers on Mount Rinjani to receive fair treatment from certain tour operators who utilize their services. I focused my care on increasing pay and limiting the weight of goods carried by porters. I received recognition for promoting tourism through my activities as a tourism activator. In 2015, the governor of West Nusa Tenggara recognized me as a successful tourism activator. In 2018, the Tourism Ministry of the Indonesian Republic recognized me as an “appreciator of local businesses in the homestay sector.” I am aware that most businessmen who exploit this nature are still far away from the sustainable concept and appear to be more concerned with environmental sustainability.

Developing tourism will increase the economy for the locals and change the social class by creating a new field of work that can decrease the poverty rate. However, the presence of trash in popular tourist destinations underscores the need to distinguish it from environmental sustainability. Therefore, everyone who works in this industry (tour and travel) must understand how to maintain the environment for sustainable tourism. For these reasons, I had to change the name of my company from Royal Rinjani Tour to Lombok Green Nature.