Indonesia’s tourism industry is thriving, but for individuals with physical disabilities, meaningful participation, whether as travelers or workers, has often been out of reach. Gilang Ahmad Fauzi, who has years of experience in tourism, felt this imbalance needed to be addressed. In partnership with Difa Bike, a motorcycle taxi service based in Yogyakarta for the disabled, Gilang established DifaTravelX 2.0, a social action project aimed at empowering physically impaired drivers.
With a Master’s degree in Tourism, Heritage and Sustainability from the University of Glasgow, Gilang was inspired to push for a more inclusive version of tourism in Indonesia. Supported by the British Council’s UK Social Action Grant, DifaTravelX 2.0 was designed to meet global development goals while tackling real, local challenges, and most importantly, the barriers to education and employment faced by people with disabilities.
The program involved 35 participants, including 15 physically disabled drivers from Difa Bike and 20 others from the Yakkum Rehabilitation Centre and the Sayap Ibu Foundation. The initiative followed four phases: intensive training, mentoring, content production, and finally, launching and piloting inclusive tour services.
Participants went through a rigorous 7–8 week training program that covered practical tour guiding skills such as public speaking and English. But coordinating the schedule was tricky due to the diverse backgrounds and needs of the participants. “We decided to divide the schedules in weekdays for Sayap Ibu Foundation and Yakkum Rehabilitation Centre, and then the weekend for Difa Bike. So that's one of the challenges,” explained Gilang. The team also separated venues based on location, with Difa Bike sessions were held at their office in Godean, while Yakkum and Sayap Ibu participants trained at the Yakkum Rehabilitation Centre on Jalan Kaliurang.
Gilang also pointed out that participants had varying skill levels, particularly in English, which meant the curriculum had to be adjusted. Despite the challenges, between five and eight participants became confident enough to guide tours in English, thanks to targeted training focused on practical language skills.
One of the project’s standout achievements was the development of 10 inclusive tour packages. These are now live on global platforms like Get Your Guide and TripAdvisor via Viator, allowing bookings from around the world and opening new income opportunities for the trained guides. To help promote the tours, the team also created engaging videos featuring the guides and developed a bilingual booklet on tour guiding with simplified English.
Beyond skill-building, DifaTravelX 2.0 has made a meaningful impact by giving people with disabilities a real chance to work in tourism, gain financial independence, and feel empowered to present themselves as professionals. Gilang noted the stigma they faced during video shoots, particularly at Prambanan temple. "The negative stigma that is still attached to people with disabilities that people stay away from them probably because people thought they actually have disease," said Gilang. He saw that during fieldwork, people were looking at the guides, people with physical disabilities, and they tried to keep their distance. “Despite this, all are very impressed and very empowered with this program," he continued. Another key challenge was the limited transportation available for people with disabilities, with only few accessible vehicles in Yogyakarta.
The project is firmly committed to long-term sustainability, aiming to foster a lasting legacy of inclusivity. "The awareness, the increase of awareness from the government to make Yogyakarta to be more inclusive and accessible," he said. " With more than 23 million people in Indonesia who have disabilities," Gilang emphasised as he shared the untapped potential of inclusive tourism.
The initiative has also sparked new partnerships. From working with the Borobudur Authority Board (BOB) on developing inclusive "Balai Ekonomi Desa" (Village Economy Centres), to potentially collaborating with RedDoorz for accessible accommodations in Central Java, to teaming up with UK alumna HRH (Gusti Kanjeng Ratu) Bendara on a grading system for accessible destinations, the impact is already spreading.
By empowering individuals and forging strategic alliances, DifaTravelX 2.0 is setting a strong example of how inclusive tourism can become a reality, one that doesn’t leave anyone behind.