Bulukumba, RBB (30/11)— Bulukumba Tourism Department is now working on so that villages can develop their respective tourism potential. This is due to residential training that recruits young people who will turn their villages into tourist villages.
The training was in three days, from November, 24 till 26 in Bira. Andi Aryono, Chief of PPTK (Technical Implementation Officer) revealed the contents of the activity. “The first day was about managing homestays according to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) standards which discussed products, buildings and services. The second day was about the preparation of homestay packages and food and beverage services and practices. The third day of training was about introducing management, collaboration and promotion and homestay marketing,” he explained.
The participants were able to understand the content of training well. Muhammad Arsyad explained, “I think this is good for refreshing. We get new knowledge and also know how to manage ourselves because this traninng is to build self-confidence. How to manage homestay and build relationships with others”. He then continued that how interesting this training was. “People are taught to think positively. I ever joined training like this. The participants were dominated by junior high school, high school graduations. And now, we can see fresh university graduations who have fresh ideas, ”continued Arsyad, who is also as the Secretary of Bulukumba PHRI (Association of Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant).
Wandi Salim, the speaker on the third day during the interview session, explained, “homestay is a breakthrough in promoting village improvement in the promotion of Indonesian tourism. He explained the need for standardization so that the development of Human Resources could be more focused by following ASEAN and international standards.”
According to Wandi, “For the targets in Indonesia, they (Read; Training participants) should understand Sapta Pesona; security, cleanliness, order, beauty and memories. There is no doubt that foreigners can feel that staying in a homestay is the same as staying in a hotel. And it will continue to be developed with tourist attractions—especially Bulukumba—with their unique culture and local wisdom,” explained the Head of South Sulawesi PHRI.
The advantage of homestay in villages is that it is not the time for the villages to have 5 (five) star hotels so that home stays improve the welfare of the UMKN (Micro, Small and Medium Unit) group. The community can manage their business at home only and can make money. The government certainly reduces unemployment and poverty.
Furthermore, the success of this training was then closed through a speech from Andi Ayu Cahyani who represented the Head of the Bulukumba Tourism Department, hoping that the material provided could be implemented in each village. Ayu said, “Participants who have home stays who are included are new people in the world of tourism. So far, they only know how to rent out rooms. Now many things can be done. This training really helps homestay owners communicate better with guests to offer packages related to the daily lives of homeowners, ”explained the Head of the Tourism Resources Development Division of the Bulukumba Tourism Department.
Ayu felt quite optimistic about the opportunities. “We have held home stay training 3 times for the last 2 years,” she said. As a step forward, “We have initiated a Kahayya Village to become a tourist village. And since 2020, we have provided assistance in developing tourist villages for the management of tourist destinations and home stays. So they escort tourism actors,” continued Ayu.
On the other hand, Aryono added that Tamatto Village has village tourism potential in the form of natural scenery and swimming pools. The village also has a Bumdes (Village Owned Enterprise). For joint progress, “We need awareness from all parties, both from the village and community leaders to improve the community’s economy,” he added.
Zulkarnain Patwa
Rumah Belajar Bersama Staff
