Bali Deemed Most Prepared to Promote Village Tourism in Indonesia

KOMPAS.com – The province of Bali has been dubbed as a destination most prepared to promote village tourism in Indonesia, according to an assessment by Deputy Minister Budi Arie Setiadi of Indonesia’s Ministry of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration.

The reason for Bali’s potential to spearhead Indonesia’s village tourism was due to the locals’ preparedness and support for this new type of recreation.

Budi was certain of Bali as the choice after visiting four areas of the island namely Gianyar, Badung, Nusa Penida, and Karangasem.

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During his visit, he found that all four destinations have something unique to offer to tourists and to contribute to future village tourism plans.

“I witnessed firsthand how the villages there genuinely respect their cultural heritage and the potential of harnessing this culture to attract domestic and foreign travelers.”

The deputy minister said that Indonesia must establish a human-oriented approach in developing its village tourism sector, especially because support from local societies is at the core of this plan’s success.

“Locals of these villages are the forefront of the development and growth of their respective villages.”

Read also: Lucky in Love: Bali Named World’s Best Honeymoon Destination

Bring in the youths

Involvement from the youths of the villages is one of the keys to successfully advancing Indonesia’s village tourism.

Through Budi’s assessment, the villages in Indonesia that have achieved progress are those that involve the younger generation.

“The spirit of today’s youths resulted in some fantastic work namely in managing sustainable village tourism.”

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The deputy minister also shared that for village tourism to thrive, it must be integrated with the agroindustry and with agrotourism. Budi views agrotourism as a concept to develop a sustainable approach to village tourism.

“Through agrotourism, nature is preserved and so are its beauty and cleanliness. These are elements that attract tourists to come and visit.”

(Writer: Nicholas Ryan Aditya | Editor: Kahfi Dirga Cahya)

Source: https://travel.kompas.com/read/2020/09/25/071000627/bali-destinasi-paling-siap-kembangkan-desa-wisata?page=all#page2