The ministry's Assistant Deputy for Regional Empowerment and Spatial Mobility Herbert Siagian told the press here on Thursday that several villages in remote areas became known by other countries due to the tourism sector. Hence, it is deemed necessary that sustainability is maintained.
"It can be said that tourism is one of the gateways to village transformation. Therefore, we help by coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies if there are obstructions or impasses that hinder the development," he remarked.
According to Siagian, one of the important aspects of villages' tourism sustainability is the development of local wisdom potential that signifies the uniqueness of a village.
He explained that several villages have good natural landscapes and supportive tourism infrastructure but cannot compete due to not having unique qualities that they want to promote.
"Therefore, if the village can (maintain an) inventory and manage existing local wisdom properly, it will be a step forward towards ensuring the sustainability of tourism as well as village independence by developing the village's original source of income," he stated.
He assessed that local wisdom gives higher investment value than tourism infrastructure development.
To this end, he emphasized the need to ensure village-owned enterprises (BUMDes) serve as business entities as well as managers of various resources in the tourism sector.
"Thus, there must be local residents that know about the management and governance of the village's wealth, including the human resources and local wisdom to empower the wealth for developing the prosperity of the village," he remarked.
He also highlighted the importance of coaching by professional workers, both through workshops and talk shows, to share literacy and assist BUMDes to support them in being independent and ready to manage the tourism potential of the village.
"Villages, whose tourism sector is already advanced today, (could be on that level) because they first employ professionals temporarily, so there are individuals, who understand and assist in matters of tourism management and governance," he remarked.
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Translator: Hana Dewi, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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