Undana pushes green tourism training for 30 Labuan Bajo UMKM

Labuan Bajo — Universitas Nusa Cendana (Undana) used the second day of its 4th International Conference on Economics, Management, Accounting & Tourism (ICEMAT) 2026 to promote green-economy practices for Labuan Bajo’s tourism sector, including training for 30 micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM), according to Undana and local media reports.

The event was held on 17 September 2026 at Zasgo Hotel in Labuan Bajo and carried the theme “Sustainable Finance and Green Economic Development,” while the broader community programme a day earlier took place at the Manggarai Barat district training centre, according to Undana, RRI and local media.

Undana said the initiative was aimed at helping tourism businesses reduce the environmental pressures that come with growth, including the risk of rising waste volumes, while also strengthening the competitiveness of local products in premium tourism markets.

Green tourism tied to business resilience

Rolland Epafras Fanggidae, dean of Undana’s Faculty of Economics and Business, said tourism sustainability could not be separated from environmental management, and that the green-economy theme was relevant to Labuan Bajo’s future development, according to local reporting.

He said many start-up UMKM in Labuan Bajo still depend heavily on visitor traffic and events, so diversification and product differentiation were needed to make businesses more resilient when tourism demand weakens, according to the same reports.

Undana described the programme as part of an international community service effort involving Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and an Indian partner institution, with the goal of supporting UMKM capacity-building and broader sustainable tourism cooperation.

The reports also said the conference brought together 33 research papers for possible publication in journals, but they did not say the event created a funded policy programme or formal implementation agreement for the region.

What was reported

• About 30 UMKM in Labuan Bajo joined the training and capacity-building programme.
• The sessions focused on waste prevention, sustainable business practices and greener tourism products.
• The conference was linked to efforts to support tourism recovery after the earthquake mentioned in the reports.

Undana also framed the programme as a way to expand international academic networks while giving local businesses practical ideas to adapt to Labuan Bajo’s premium tourism economy.

Sources

• Universitas Nusa Cendana
• POS-KUPANG.COM
• RRI