Indonesia
Gambyong Dance as Welcoming Perfomance
The Faculty of Cultural Studies (FCS) of Universitas Brawijaya (UB) was trusted by the Blitar Regency Culture and Tourism Department to organize Technical Assistance on Tourism Resource Management and Creative Economy for Village Tourism Activists of Panggungrejo District, Blitar Regency.
This activity lasted for two days. On the first day, the tourism village activists received a material briefing held at FCS UB on Monday (10/9/2023). On the second day, Tuesday (10/10/2023), the participants were invited to see and to learn about the village tourism management in Tepus Village, Yogyakarta.
The group consisting of tourism village activists of Panggungrejo District, Blitar Regency Culture and Tourism Office, and representatives from FCS UB were warmly welcomed by Tepus Village activists, in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, followed by a welcome dance, Gambyong.
The event continued with remarks from the Head of Tepus Village, Hendro Pratopo, S.IP., who explained about Tepus Village, which has an area of approximately 2500 hectares.
Welcome and Event at Tepus Village Hall
“There are twelve beaches in Tepus Village, but there are still six beaches that can be accessed, they are Cempluk Kali Beach, Indrayanti Beach, Poktunggal Beach, Culukan Hils, Watulawang Beach, and Watunene Beach,” Hendro explained.
The activity continued with a presentation of material from the Head of the Tepus Tourism Village Pokdarwis (Tourism Awareness Group), Wahyu Budianto, who explained about Tepus Village Profile or what is known as Dewi Kampus (Desa Wisata Kalurahan Madani Tepus).
“So far, we have received national award for Tourism Village management from the government. We continue to try to develop the village’s potential. For this development, it is necessary to empower the community and MSMEs. Of course, it starts with creating a Tourism Village profile,” Wahyu explained.
“Initially, we had no funds. So, we took a joint venture and looked for available talent and people. Some people ask about the contribution of this tourism activism to the village. However, we can prove that good tourism village management will make the village proud,” he added.
Wahyu also explained that there are 12 Pokdarwis (tourism activist communities) in Tepus Village. Over time, now there are Subpokdarwis (sub-tourism activist communities) in each tourist destination in Tepus.
“We, a tourism village, are associated with Pokdarwis (tourism activist communities) tourist destinations, while BUMDES (Village-Owned Enterprises) develops the tourism economy. Between Pokdarwis and BUMDES, there must be mutual coordination and communication to build the village. We will not be able to run well without several elements that strengthen us, and MSMEs are one of the important components of tourism village partners,” Wahyu said.
The event was continued by a presentation from the Director of BUMDES, Tepus Village, Turistyo, who further explained the management of tourism villages. After the production of the material, the event continued with discussions, questions and answers, closing, and village tour in Tepus.
Eco Print Craft at SLB Puspa Melati
The first visit was made to Puspa Melati Special School (SLB) in Tepus Village. Here, students with special needs showed beautiful dance performance skills that were performed in the welcoming ceremony. They also showed wonderful handicraft skills, such as making accessories and producing eco printing fabrics for sale.
Cassava Production Unit
The second visit was to the center of processed cassava products. Here, it was introduced that the main crop of Tepus Village is cassava. Cassava can be processed into multiple types of food, such as gethuk, gatot, pathilo, opak, rambak, crackers, and so on. They were providing samples that could be directly tasted, there were also sales outlets for processed food products. Visitors could directly see the production kitchen of various processed cassava.
Tepus Heritage and Karawitan Music Group
The program continued to the traditional Tepus Village restaurant. The dining crew warmly welcomed the group with the accompaniment of gamelan music. In this place, visitors could feel the atmosphere of eating delicious traditional Tepus Village food in a tranquil atmosphere. This place is not just an ordinary place to eat because there are also various heirlooms, ancient and antique items that are well stored, cared for, and maintained. So, visitors can also learn history and knowledge.
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Tepus Village Batik and Silver Craft Center
After enjoying the traditional food, the group was invited to the craft centers of Tepus Village. The tour included visiting batik and silver crafts small factory. Not only did they see the processes of making the crafts, but the group could also buy the crafts directly in the production house.
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Watunene Beach and Heha Stone Valley
The activity went on to enjoying the natural beauty and tourist areas in Tepus Village. The first destination was Watunene Beach, which is still untouched by visitors because the road to this beach is newly constructed. Next, the group enjoyed the view and sunset at Heha Stone Valley.
Tepus Village Local Art Performance
The trip to Tepus Tourism Village ended with visiting an inn near Indrayanti Beach. At this inn, act of tourism branding continued to be presented. Various tourism attractions and local cultural arts of Dewi Kampus were performed, namely Mangastuti Dance by Kemuning Dance Studio, Tayub Dance, and Jathilan Dance.
Representative Head of the PSDP EKRAF Division of the Blitar Regency Culture and Tourism Office, Yanti Sholikhah, S.T., M.M., revealed that the Blitar Regency Culture and Tourism Office learned many things from this workshop.
“From the moment we arrived, we have learned many things. It is our chance to learn something to develop tourism in our area. We hope that what we have done today will benefit the progress of our tourism,” said Yanti. [trans.dts/ed.vidya/PR FCS]