15/03/2020
Agricultural tourist destinations become the main attraction for local and foreign tourists. This consideration then inspired the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) of Baturiti village, Kerambitan subdistrict, Tabanan, to ‘conjure up’ their rice fields in Subak Buluh into a new tourist destination. This tourist attraction is expected to become one of the pioneers of tourism development in Kerambitan.
In the area, there are several selfie spots such as the installation of bird nests, hearts and boats. More interestingly, the selfie spots are made from wood waste. This area is also equipped with swings and food stalls offering traditional cuisines of Kerambitan such as Balinese cakes, Balinese porridge and the jejeruk nyawan (baby bee delicacy).
Head of Pokdarwis Baturiti, Made Pasek Wiratmaja, said the tourist attraction originated from the many tourists visiting Baturiti village for cycling and trekking. “Guests feel comfortable because they can interact directly with local farmers. This phenomenon then inspired us to build a haven and selfie spots. Apparently many tourists are interested and eventually we continued to develop it by establishing a group and involving four representatives from six hamlets,” he explained.
With the natural concept and directly involving the activities of local people, he is confident the tourism village will run and develop well. As planned, Uma Kawan will be managed through village-owned enterprise or BUMDes. “Here we do not accentuate the benefits, but how local residents can rise up and get involved in it. Our concept is still promoting agriculture,” he said.
Likewise for cuisines, admitted Pasek, residents wishing to display traditional culinary specialties can also present it at the Uma Kawan. “We want to empower the local community. So, we involve them all to raise the potential of tourism village,” he explained.
The existence of Uma Kawan since its introduction at the Kerambitan Festival 2018, admitted Pasek, was received quite well by the community. Evidently, the average visit per day could reach 50 people and even on Saturday and Sunday increases to 150 people. “They are mostly local communities, while foreign tourists are usually from Australia,” he explained.
By only paying admission ticket at IDR 10,000, visitors can enjoy the scenery with a variety of selfie spots, soft drink, and Balinese snacks. ‘’We are still developing it in accordance with the ideas of group members, as long as it does not interfere with the agricultural concept that we emphasize here,” he stressed.
