Eight Universities Advance to Final Round of Ideas Competition to Develop Tourism Villages
Eight universities have advanced to the final round of a community service programme for tourism villages after outperforming more than 260 proposals from 98 public and private universities across Indonesia. The finalists will now compete in an ideas challenge to demonstrate their readiness to run community empowerment programmes in four tourism villages from July to August 2026.
The eight campuses that qualified for the final are participants in Genera-Z Berbakti 2026, a programme organised by PT Bank Central Asia (BCA) Tbk to encourage students to deliver innovative solutions for tourism villages fostered by Bakti BCA. They hail from Universitas Cenderawasih, Universitas Airlangga, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Padjadjaran, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, IPB University, Universitas Indonesia, and BINUS University.
The ideas challenge featuring the eight finalist teams began airing on 20 June 2026 via BCA’s YouTube channel (@SolusiBCA) and several partner platforms. Participants will compete for the opportunity to carry out community service programmes in four tourism villages: Desa Wisata Kreatif Terong in Belitung Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands; Desa Wisata Situs Gunung Padang in Cianjur Regency, West Java; Desa Wisata Patakbanteng in Wonosobo Regency, Central Java; and Desa Wisata Kakaskasen Dua in Tomohon City, North Sulawesi.
EVP Corporate Communication & Social Responsibility BCA Hera F Haryn said Genera-Z Berbakti serves as a platform to connect student creativity with the needs of communities in Bakti BCA’s fostered tourism villages. “Through Genera-Z Berbakti, BCA seeks to bridge and connect creative and innovative ideas from students with communities in various Bakti BCA tourism villages. We believe this programme can bring positive impacts for students and communities in the target areas. Cross-sector collaboration like this is needed to ensure Indonesia’s success in optimising the demographic dividend and achieving the Golden Indonesia 2045 target,” Hera stated.
The final round of Genera-Z Berbakti 2026 also features three panellists who will assess the participants’ ideas: Bakti BCA Ambassador Nicholas Saputra, entertainer and sociopreneur Cinta Laura Kiehl, and scientist and social entrepreneur Tri Mumpuni. The inclusion of Cinta Laura and Tri Mumpuni brings a fresh dimension to this year’s edition, replacing Happy Salma and Professor Yohanes Surya who served as panellists in the 2025 edition alongside Nicholas Saputra.
Nicholas assessed that the quality of proposals prepared by the finalists has improved compared to the previous edition. According to him, participants demonstrated a deeper understanding of on-the-ground issues while offering more mature solutions. “We see that the ideas from the students are so sharp. They appear focused on digging into problems and the reasoning behind their programme proposals. The participants look enthusiastic. The students seem more prepared in terms of their proposals and more cohesive,” Nicholas said.
Beyond showcasing the judging process, Genera-Z Berbakti 2026 also presents the stories behind each finalist team’s journey. Tim Lestari from Universitas Cenderawasih, for instance, admitted to spending late nights on campus for three consecutive days to perfect their submission. “We didn’t want to do things half-heartedly, so we had already dissected the opportunities for three straight days before registering. We often discussed until late at night, accompanied by the security guard,” said Syahlika, a member of Tim Lestari from the Nursing Science Study Programme at Universitas Cenderawasih.
Another story came from Tri Febriansah, a member of the Desa Hidup team from Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung. The Informatics Engineering student admitted that his participation in Genera-Z Berbakti actually led him to spend more time with friends on campus. “Previously I was less active on campus and had more activities outside, so I lacked moments with friends. By joining Genera-Z Berbakti, I ended up spending more time on campus and having moments with friends to prepare proposals, pitch decks, and so on. It was all memorable for me,” he said.
The entire selection process, ideas challenge, and the finalists’ journey in carrying out community service can be watched via BCA’s YouTube channel (@SolusiBCA) or the page bca.id/genzberbakti.