In 2016, Thomas Despin stood in Bali with an empty bank account after an ATM skimmer wiped out his savings. A few years earlier, he had left France on a bicycle to cross more than twenty countries and meet entrepreneurs around the world.
Indonesia was never supposed to become home. Yet a series of unexpected events led him to Buka Buka Island in Central Sulawesi, where he built Reconnect Private Island Resort & Dive Center and eventually became an Indonesian citizen in 2024.
His story is not about luxury tourism or escaping to paradise. It is about commitment, adaptation, and the belief that Indonesia's future as a travel destination extends far beyond Bali.
Despin grew up in Bordeaux and initially studied psychology before leaving university to pursue a different path. His Startup Cycling project took him across Europe and North America, where he interviewed founders and documented their journeys.
Then Bali changed everything.
"The worst day of my twenties turned out to be the hinge of my life," Despin says.
Unable to return to France after losing his money, he stayed in Indonesia and rebuilt his life by creating websites and later launching a successful e-commerce business. Financial success arrived quickly, but satisfaction did not.
"It solved my financial problem and left me with a different one. None of it felt grounded."
In 2018, a friend mentioned land for sale on a small island in the Togean region of Central Sulawesi. Despin visited out of curiosity. The first moments on Buka Buka Island immediately left an impression.
"One thought landed immediately: I could live here."
He wrote about the experience on Facebook during the boat ride back. Friends who had followed his earlier projects offered support, and the first piece of land was purchased without formal presentations or investor meetings.
Months later, his mother discovered a childhood drawing he had made at four years old. It showed a tiny figure standing alone on an island beneath a palm tree.
"I had completely forgotten it," he recalls.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Despin
Despin moved to Buka Buka full time in 2019 and began with modest conditions. A half-finished hut and a bucket shower served as home while he worked through practical challenges one by one.
Electricity had to be produced locally. Water had to come through desalination systems. Internet access had to reach one of Indonesia's more remote regions.
Today, the resort operates on 93 percent solar power, produces its own fresh water, and uses Starlink to remain connected with the outside world. The property deliberately remains small, with only 20 rooms and around 25 employees, most of whom come from surrounding communities.
The greatest test arrived in 2020.
Reconnect welcomed its first guests just as international travel effectively stopped.
"I had moved my life and capital to a remote island to build a resort for international travelers, and the international travelers were gone."
Instead of waiting for borders to reopen, Despin shifted attention to Indonesian guests. Looking back, he believes the crisis became one of the resort's greatest advantages.
"By the time borders reopened, we had a functioning operation instead of a theory."
The period also gave birth to the island's dive center. A visiting diver explored nearby waters and encouraged Despin to create a dedicated diving operation. Reconnect Dive Center opened in 2021 and now offers access to roughly thirty dive sites across the Togean region.
For Despin, the larger mission extends beyond a single resort.
Indonesia contains more than 17,000 islands, yet international tourism often revolves around a limited number of destinations. He believes regions such as Central Sulawesi deserve greater attention, provided development remains measured and locally rooted.
"Indonesian tourism doesn't have to mean Bali."
His approach rejects large-scale expansion. Reconnect will remain capped at 20 rooms. Growth instead focuses on reef conservation, local employment, food self-sufficiency, and preserving adjacent land.
One of the resort's most notable initiatives involves collaboration with local Bajau fishermen. By paying higher prices for traditional and sustainable fishing methods, the resort helped encourage changes in local practices without imposing rules or restrictions.
"Tourism should create a reason to protect a place."
In 2024, Despin formally became an Indonesian citizen, a decision that required him to renounce his French passport.
For him, the choice reflected reality rather than symbolism.
"Indonesia is where my wife is from, where our daughter was born, and where everything I've built exists. It wasn't a symbol. It was a commitment."
His daughter Athena was born on Buka Buka Island in 2022, and one of the resort's villas now carries her name.
Despin often speaks about the difference between social media perceptions and the reality of island life. Remote tourism may appear romantic, but daily operations involve generators, water systems, transport logistics, and constant problem solving.
Perhaps his most revealing quote captures that perspective best.
"I don't see myself as an owner. I'm a conductor."
That mindset may ultimately define both Thomas Despin and Reconnect. The project offers an alternative vision for Indonesian tourism, one built on smaller scale operations, local partnerships, and a deep personal commitment to place. In a country often viewed through the lens of Bali, Buka Buka Island stands as proof that another model can exist.
Photos courtesy of Thomas Despin
