By, Moehammad Amar Ma’ruf, Indonesian Career Diplomat
At the fourth edition of “Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism 2024” which was held in Colombia, Friday, November 15 2024. The UN World Tourism Organization has decided to choose two Indonesia villages, respectively Jatiluwih village in Tabanan Bali and Wukirsari Village in Bantul-Special Region of Jogjakarta, as the best tourism villages destination in the world 2024. This election is determined over 260 villages proposed from 60 countries of UN members. What a good achievement.
The world recognition to the two Indonesia villages above as recommended tourism objects destination for the world travelers absolutely position intended Indonesian Villages as the ideal places that in line with the world need to show balancing life between human and environment development as the creation of God Almighty.
Furthermore, the above international appreciation has encouraged and opened all related stakeholders in the world to learn of management of the villages that uphold and respect of local wisdom under inclusive and participative interaction between the local people and its environment.
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The 2024 UN Tourism, this forum has become very outstanding agent of promotion that tell the broad profile of the villages that actually be vary under their specific circumstance. It may also open the world to know more other exotic things that may be found as the special icon to be remembered and preserved.
The world is believed divided into two classification of climate situation, namely Sub Artic and Tropical. For the Sub Arctic, the region has four seasons namely spring, summer, autumn and winter. For Tropical, the region has two seasons, namely, wet season (rainy) and dry season (summer).
For travelers coming from arctic countries, Indonesian is quite different. Indonesia is tropical country. This situation arises curiosity and make them who want to visit it to have necessary preparation in avoiding inconvenience situation during their journey in tropical area, including traveler equipment dan document and expense of living in order to maintain their comfort during their visit times in Indonesia or in other targeted region/countries. The travelers shall also be aware of the local map, weather and get preliminary information including local culture etc. It is easy to be found in digital information media on Indonesia. Those who need information may also go to the Indonesian mission closed to where they live.
Indonesia actually consists of 38 provinces, 514 cities / regencies (98 cities + 416 regencies) 7,277 districts. 83,763 villages (8,498 urban villages + 75,265 villages) is very abundance of ethnic, culture and religion. Indonesia has promulgated the Law No. 6 Year 2014 on Village (Desa) and this Law has been amended two times by enacting the Law No. 3 year 2024. This act has regulated management and supervision aspects for the regional administration to manage their villages with the common principles that uphold sustainability and respect local wisdom with inclusive and participative spirit and measures.
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While the above act has been issued to strengthen the villages development, there is also a customary law or act (adat law) in the specific rural citizen. These two laws are actually important to be known in order to be able to respect how close relations between man and man, man and environment and man and its Creator as the Creator of the Universe. These aspects are interrelated to each other and made the place as being seen now. This pattern of relations become the symbol of harmony and in line with the UN Tourism judges in selecting the places the term of respecting social and culture values with respect of nature or environment and the Creator of the universe.
This UN Tourism body has shown sympathetic gesture and decision to the world society amid the paradoxical theatre shown in world situation that very disruptive or may degrade the quality of human and environment condition due to over exploitation of world resources that finally made some travel warning to go there. This election offers the world citizen the way to respect the world resources or asset in term of beautifulness of nature, the rich of noble culture and local wisdom who live in while they will have relaxing moment individually or in group or family.
The nomination of the best place for tourism also become emotional effort to invite world leaders including all stakeholders to realize the dream of their peoples and places to be known by others in term of good things. While the world challenges become real and closed to the point of massive destruction due to global warming if the wise and balancing behavior toward its environment not being implemented together.
The message of this nomination also directed to world leaders and world communities toward international commitment on sustainable development goals in 2030 under their best effort and capacity. Even though this goal seems still be a challenging, the role of rural citizen who take care its environment become the voice and a bottom up initiative for their local and central government and to the world to act firmly in protecting their national asset for the benefit of current and next generation.
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This challenging seems very complex since the world population grow uncontrol while world resources is limited and may finally lead conflict due to political ambition to locate natural resources of defeated nation/countries. The success of rural area administration and strong customary society are golden reserve and becoming strategic factor to be managed for achieving sustainable development goals.
For that reason, safety measures and a good village administration (rural area) become pillar of any related stakeholders the building a stronger nationality in every country. In rural areas, where forest and agriculture environment are usually found are sources of water, source of food, source of energy and source of humble intellectuals who have worked in silence.
It is frightened since the digital technology come very vast to the young generation and it will be very disruptive if the rural/local peoples are not being shield with strong character and knowledge that in line with current and next development era. For that reason, all international agenda who has been declared and given an impact for national character, it should be prepared by strong and transparent administration in order to avoid miscommunication and misleading in managing local administration and assets.
Furthermore, the election of Indonesia villages as International or Domestic Tourism destination must be a bridging positive forum for any stakeholders and administration to have exchanges of views with noble value among visitor and local peoples in order to support its sustainable development for current and next generation.
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It is good to hear the Eco-Tourism; Green Tourism programs and empowering Visiting Program be widening opened and organized all the years. It is hoped that in the years to come other villages in the Indonesian regions will be elected and listed as Tourism destination adding the good example of village in Jogjakarta and in Bali for better Indonesia that open circular economy and spreading welfare of local peoples without neglecting noble values that live in local peoples. The local values that respect the good relations between man and man, man and environment and men with its Creator.
At last, let me thank for the hard work of related team in Indonesia for this remarkable achievement and May Allah God Almighty guide all Indonesian to be better country and welfare state. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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