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.