Hospitality and Tourism Trade School

Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world and a catalyst for economic growth and development. It has a significant impact on trade, job creation, investment, infrastructure development, and social inclusion in any country that pursues a tourism agenda. In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism can once again fuel the global recovery. Jobs in tourism have a considerable multiplier effect on the economy in the form of food supplies, equipment, and broader infrastructure development. The diverse types of tourism, such as cultural, urban, rural, eco, culinary, and adventure tourism, offer a wide range of opportunities for destinations in the less developed countries of the world, – including Timor Leste.

Timor Leste is well placed to offer a unique tourism product in a post-Covid world.

• It is culturally authentic with a rich tradition of beliefs and rituals passed down from ancient times. Despite colonisation, war and occupation, Timorese traditional culture still provides the essentials for maintaining its social order, kinship relationships within broader ethnic groupings, and it teaches everyone about the strong sense of identity and the close personal relationships they have with the sea, the land, and the mountains.
• It is naturally pristine and blessed with an abundance of untouched beauty, from the sacred mountains to the bountiful sea.
• It is virtually undiscovered, and the Timorese are unbelievably warm and welcoming. In 2019, a mere 38,000 leisure travellers visited Timor Leste! Their preferred activities included diving and snorkelling, in what some say are the best reefs in the world, beach visits, cultural and historic site visitation, hiking, mountain biking, fishing and voluntourism.

Ainaro township is located 110km southwest of Dili, between two rivers, in the central highlands. This elevation provides a cool respite from the tropical heat of the coast. It serves as the administration centre of Ainaro Province and is on the main south road to Suai. There have been several studies done on the potential for tourism in Timor Leste in general and Ainaro in particular. The Ainaro and district highlights include:

• The monument to King Dom Alexio.
• The Catholic cathedral.
• Historic battle sites from ancient clan wars.
• Leamua alter stone, a very sacred place, where people pray to make others die! Visitors must perform an ancient betelnut ritual.
• At Fatukbei-lelo Koslim there are ancient fingerprints in stone. Some believe they belong to Jesus.
• The Jakarta II massacre site, where Timorese people were told they were being taken to Jakarta by the Indonesian military but were ‘disappeared’ over a steep ravine. A place of great sadness.
• The Mau Ulo hot springs.
• At nearby Soro Lau mountain, the site of a significant battle between Japanese and Australian forces during WWII, is the Fatuk Kuak Bermau cave where Dom Alexio helped hide and provision the Australian ‘Sparrow Force’.
• Xanana Gusmao took another nearby cave called Nou Ulo as a hide-out during the Indonesian occupation.
• There are several waterfalls to be seen, water holes to swim in, walking tracks to meander along between villages, and unlimited mountain biking.
• Ainaro is also a good base to set out from when climbing Foho Ramelau or visiting Doko Mali waterfall.