Tabanan strives to boost tourism and agriculture
Tabanan strives to boost tourism and agriculture
By I Ketut Suastika
TABANAN, Bali (Antara): Tabanan regency, 30 kilometers from Denpasar, has long been famous for its beautiful landscape.
The regency plays a crucial role in Bali's agricultural and tourism sectors, offering such attractions as Lake Bedugul, Tanah Lot, the butterfly park in Wanasari village, the hot springs in Penebel village and the Alas Kedaton monkey forest.
Tabanan is also Bali's rice bowl, with some of the most fertile land on the island, including around Lake Bedugul and the southern part of the Batukaru mountains.
Aware of its tremendous agricultural potential, the local government, businesspeople and farmers are aggressively developing agro-based industry.
In Belimbing village, domestic and foreign visitors can taste various local fruits at an agro-tourist site. If they wish to spend the night at the village, they can stay in an enchanting cottage called Wisma Cempaka Belimbing.
The 10-room cottage blends traditional Balinese and modern architectural styles and fits harmoniously with the rural surroundings, adorned with layered paddy fields and mountains.
Visitors are also able to harvest fruit and other agricultural products along with local farmers.
In Batuengsel village, Bedugul, PT Bali Payung Negri has developed a similar tourist attraction.
To cater to the growing number of domestic and foreign visitors, the Tabanan authorities have allowed local businesspeople to build hotels, restaurants, art galleries and other tourist facilities.
The regency's rich natural and cultural resources have attracted large investors, like those behind the Bali Nirwana Resort near the historical Tanah Lot.
Tanah Lot, one of the holiest sites for the Balinese, consists of a number of shrines built on an outcropping of rocks just offshore.
Bali Governor Dewa Beratha has encouraged the people of Tabanan to develop prestigious tourist attractions and explore local potentials.
"The regency should be able to attract visitors to its unique and beautiful tourist sites. In return, the regency will gain economic benefit to improve its welfare," the governor commented.
One Tabanan resident, Putu Gde Kerta Dyanaputra, 30, has just established an international-scale tourist attraction on the slopes of Batukaru mountain.
The young businessman also set up a restaurant and other supporting facilities to welcome visitors to his newly established ATV Ride, Cycling, Trekking and Land Rover Touring. This new attraction give visitors the chance to explore the rural life around Batukaru using three-wheeled vehicles.
"We offer a new facility to enable visitors to trek through the village's farms and paddy fields in this pristine village of Wangaya Gede," Putu said.
The attraction, officially opened in January this year, required about Rp 4 billion in initial investment.
"We have to be creative in developing innovative attractions to draw more visitors to the regency," Putu said.
He added that he was now working with hotels and travel agencies in foreign countries to promote his attraction.
"In the near future, we will also develop a trekking tour to give our guests the opportunity to learn more about Balinese society and culture," he said.