Karangbanjar tourist village still suffering
Karangbanjar tourist village still suffering
Agus Maryono and Amin A Abdurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga, Central Java
Since the Bali bombings two years ago not a single foreigner has come, and the head of the Karangbanjar tourist village in Purbalingga says she is getting desperate.
"We've lost it all now," Atingah said.
"The arrival of one or two tourist buses a day used to produce for us a net income of some Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000. That excludes what tourists spent on buying local handicrafts or souvenirs, such wigs or brooms," she said.
The only tourism-oriented village established in the province, Karangbanjar, population 3,000, once benefited a great deal from overseas visitors.
Officially declared a tourist village in 1994, it is not that different from its neighbors.
On the road to the Baturaden holiday resort on the slopes of Mt. Slamet, Karangbanjar is designed in such a way that it shows off its natural setting; up in the green and picturesque highlands of Central Java; and the creativity of its villagers.
Just five kilometers northwest of the regional capital, Purbalingga, it is three hours drive from Semarang or four from Yogyakarta.
Atingah says the village is the perfect destination for those who want to enjoy the natural beauty of a remote village and leave the hustle and bustle of a big city behind.
It is also interactive. Vistors can get close to or fully involved in the village's daily activities such as cultivating rice fields or attending village meetings.
Those who want to experience a traditional village longer can also spend a night or more in Karangbanjar because some of the villagers also offer homestay accommodation to visitors.
"They are available at only Rp 50,000 per night, including breakfast. But of course they are not quite up to the standards of luxurious city hotels.
"These are just traditional houses whose original character have been maintained as it is," Atingah said, adding that the food on offer, too, was typical of what was eaten locally, comprising rice and other side dishes.
To make the village a more attractive spot, a campsite has been constructed in a spot above the hamlet. Higher than the rest of the village, from this spot visitors can see whole scale activities on offer and enjoy the scenery.
Other attractions include several handicraft centers producing wigs and hair items, and a variety of traditional performances that can be put on at any time on a raised stage.
Hair is big in the village, with almost half of the residents involved in hair-based handicrafts; home industries that mostly produce wigs and eyelashes.
Purbalingga Regent Triyono Budi Sasongko often takes official guests to the village to show off the crafts which are sold widely across the country.
Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri also saw the potential of this industry, in July this year donating a wig-production machine to the villagers.
Other handicrafts produced in the village include exotic brooms made of oil palm, coconut and casuarina tree leaves, coconut fibres and even rooster feathers.
These are also sold across the country and have also been exported to Japan.
"You are free to take a look at the whole production process and then buy the items as souvenirs," Atingah said.
Since foreign tourists had ceased visiting the village, the local government had switched to target domestic ones, Atingah said. The village had turned itself into a living case study on the sustainable management of a tourist enterprise and how to develop cottage and handicraft-related industries.
However, these activities did not generate as much income as foreign tourism, which is why most villagers still dreamed of a return to the good old days, she said.