"I hope this cooperation would start with a pilot project first in the Bakas Tourism Village since it is included as a pilot village. Hence, we want to see its development towards becoming an independent tourism village," Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno stated here on Friday.
Uno had earlier noted that Bali was expected to be reopened to foreign tourists since July on grounds that the number of COVID-19 cases remain under control in the world's most popular tourist resort.
The concept being applied in the Bakas Tourism Village is an agriculture tourism village where villagers are mostly farmers.
Bakas offers attractions, such as agriculture tracking, rafting and elephant tours, home stays, culinary, cooking classes, and kite making and flying activities.
Bakas Tourism Village is a pilot tourism village to be developed into a self-funded tourism village that is environment-friendly and applies local wisdom.
The pilot project is in line with the ministry's mid-term development plan (RPJMN) for the 2020-2024 period that targets 244 tourist villages to be certified as independent tourism villages by 2024.
The Bali Polytechnic's mechanical engineering students are expected to support the pilot project by providing applied technologies for waste treatment and tracking activities.
However, the ministry highlighted the need for bringing about further improvements in the human resources in Bakas.
Wisnu Bawa Tarunajaya, the ministry's Deputy for Institutional Resources, noted that the ministry will help organize training courses for those involved in rural tourism. Related news: Yogyakarta`s rural tourism sector has good prospects
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Editor: Suharto
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