Siak Eco Wonders Connects River Tourism with Local Livelihoods in Indonesia

In Siak Regency, Riau, Indonesia, a community-based tourism initiative is bringing visitors closer to Malay heritage while creating work for local food producers, transport providers, and young people.

Siak Eco Wonders, developed by Sentra Kreatif Lestari Siak (Skelas) and local stakeholders, combines river experiences, heritage tours, and traditional dining. Its approach places residents and small businesses within the visitor experience.

According to Skelas, the initiative aims to connect tourism with cultural preservation and environmental care.

Exploring Siak through its river and heritage

Working with Benteng Berdaulat and local Tourism Awareness Groups, known as Pokdarwis, Siak Eco Wonders uses traditional sampans to introduce visitors to the area’s history.

Travelers can also explore Siak Palace, Syahabuddin Mosque, and Balai Kerapatan on wooden bicycles.

Other activities connect visitors with local production and livelihoods. These include making nastar cookies at the Pinaloka pineapple processing center, learning about fish processing and peatland conservation at Alam Siak Lestari, and accompanying fishermen as they set nets in the afternoon and collect their catch the following morning.

Taufiq Nurrohim, who handles business development at Skelas, said the initiative grew from a need to connect the area’s existing attractions and community activities.

“We saw great potential in Siak, but the management was not yet maximized. It was not because it was wrong, but because things were not yet connected and packaged well,” he said.

Local kitchens become part of the experience

Dining packages engage residents of Benteng Hulu Village to prepare traditional Malay dishes rather than relying on large catering services.

The menu includes asam pedas patin, salais fish, tapah fish, and juara tumbuk. Visitors can also experience makan beranyut, dining aboard a sampan while drifting along the Siak River.

The initiative offers meeting, dining, and tour packages. Meeting packages typically accommodate 30 to 40 guests, while dining experiences can serve up to 100 visitors, according to the release.

These arrangements bring local cooking and services directly into tourism activities.

Reducing waste and involving young people

Skelas says its meeting and dining packages eliminate single-use plastics, encouraging reusable tumblers or paper cups. Food waste is processed using maggots through a partnership with the Sejahtera village-owned enterprise in Mempura District.

The initiative has also engaged eight vocational tourism students as dinner servers and around 20 rotating volunteers in tour activities since its July launch.

“We want this tourism to provide a simple example that tourism activities can run without adding a burden to the environment,” Nurrohim said.

Early results and remaining challenges

Since launching in July, Siak Eco Wonders reports approximately IDR 21 million in revenue and support for around 10 local micro, small, and medium enterprises.

The release separately reports an average of 15 to 20 tourists monthly and 20 to 30 bicycle renters weekly. These figures describe different activities and should not be combined into a single visitor total.

Accessibility and pricing remain challenges. Travel from Pekanbaru takes two to three hours by road, according to the initiative. Skelas plans to establish a business entity, expand partnerships, and develop environmentally friendly homestays using traditional Malay houses.

For Philippine communities exploring similar tourism models, Siak offers an example of connecting visitor activities with local food, culture, and livelihoods. Its longer-term ambition is to make those connections support both community income and environmental care.

“The hope is that tourism in Siak does not just sell views, but also revives culture, protects nature, and creates jobs,” Nurrohim said.

More information is available on the Skelas website.