Tourism villages offer an alternative way

By Tri Budhi Sastrio

DENPASAR, Bali (JP):Tourism villages have become popular a alternative of conventional tourism.

The tourism village concept, which was developed as another form of rural tourism or agrotourism, brings to mind an obvious vision and mission, as a remedy for many weaknesses which so far have been felt away from normal tourism destination.

The government, in this case the State Ministry of Tourism and Arts, designed a tourism development alternative in Bali, usually mentioned as an Integrated Tourism Village.

A consultancy team from the University of Gajah Mada, Yogyakarta, and Udayana University, Denpasar, defined the tourism village as followed:

A rural area with its whole atmosphere reflecting an original Bali village, either from spatiality, architecture or the pattern of sociocultural life of the community, which is able to provide the main needs of tourists, such as accommodation, food and beverages, souvenirs and tourism attractions.

With this definition, the tourism village would be a small self-contained area where tourists could directly interact with the local community and learn its way of life.

The tourism village would provide accommodation which maintains the Balinese style and atmosphere, but fulfills the minimum standard of accommodation from the perspective of health and sanitation.

This could be done by modifying and renovating houses of local people. The tourism village would also be expected to involve the local community in providing the tourists with food and beverages, provided that they are hygienic.

This type of holiday package also offers a rare opportunity to enjoy and observe rural life in the island's villages which are rich in tradition and culture.

The development of this tourism-village concept, if successful, will benefit both the tourism industry and the local community. And at the same time, it could also help preserve local traditions and culture. It is also regarded as a way to reach an even distribution of tourism development in Bali.

Yet, this concept is also seen a sensitive alternative because inappropriate planning and mismanagement could cause negative consequences for desa adat (traditional villages).

Tourism in Bali should be framed by the principle and balance of distribution as a result of development, either by even distribution among groups (vertical distribution) or distribution among regions (spatial distribution).

In fact, tourism development in Bali is concentrated only in two regencies and one municipality: Badung, Gianyar and Denpasar.

Another principle that should be followed is one of being beneficial for the local community. They should get priority to enjoy the fruits of development.

Hotels, especially large ones like those in the Nusa Dua resort area, have already proved that they give economic benefits to government, and also lift local economic growth.

But, the benefits received by the local community are still in question, because major investments for development usually come from foreign investors, so the major part of the profits are taken off the island.

In many cases, tourism development has caused many locals (farmers) to feel removed and alienated because they were forced to sell their land to investors.

These farmers actually got a very small amount of money. To make matters worse, they do not have skills to manage the money and to find employment outside the agriculture sector.

If this phenomenon continues at its current pace, a lot of farmers will likely have to give up their land and be unemployed.

The type of tourism which is now developed in Bali is Cultural Tourism, meaning Balinese culture, which has its roots in Hinduism. This culture is also based on many traditional institutions in Bali, especially desa adat and their banjar (community groups).

One government regulation stipulates that the development of the local culture, in which desa adat is the main supporter, should receive serious attention.

In reality, many traditional institutions only took part in tourism development to gain the benefits received by desa adat and subak (traditional agricultural community), which were still very limited. Leaders of desa adat outside tourist destinations very often felt like milk cows.

One desa adat leader said that most tourists spend their nights at star-rated hotels (owned by foreigners), then they explore inland Bali on tours usually managed by travel agents. They bring with them snacks and soft drinks wrapped neatly in plastic bags.

The leader said the tourists enjoy the beautiful rural scenery, rice fields and exotic Balinese culture or many ritual ceremonies held by desa adat.

After finishing their tour and taking pictures, the leader said, these tourists leave to have lunch at their luxury hotels.

"So, what does desa adat get from this type of tourism? It only becomes a transitory object and provider of tourist attractions. And ... heaps of plastic bags and soft drink cans," said the leader.

Bali's tourism industry is based on the local culture, therefore, the preservation of Bali's culture is a must if the tourism industry wants to develop in a sustainable way.

Then, because desa adat and subak are the pillars of Bali's culture, the preservation of Bali's culture can be maintained if, and only if, the existent of desa adat and subak are protected as well.

Therefore, the effort must be made to give local communities a chance to participate in all tourism development activities in order to gain economic benefits.

From the perspective of tourism development, the implementation of having tourism villages is regarded as an effort to open new markets and an attractive solution to the now saturated conventional tourism concept.

* The writer is a graduate student at the University of Udayana.