Offering Marine Tourism Beauty, Kampung Masing Binaan Pupuk Kaltim Wins 3rd ADWI 2023

Photo: Doc. Pupuk Kaltim

JAKARTA - Kampung at the Makaning water fostered by PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (Pupuk Kaltim), won the 3rd place in the Advanced Tourism Village category at the 2023 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI), which was held by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf). The award was handed over by Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Angela Tanoesoedibjo in Jakarta, Sunday 27 August.

Head of RT 30 Maaling Nasir Lakada, said this award was the fruit of the community's struggle with the support of various parties in Bontang City, until Malaing managed to become one of the leading tourist village destinations in Indonesia.

This achievement is inseparable from the development of Pupuk Kaltim through the Better Living in Malaming program, so that the area is able to transform into a tourist village with attractive culture and natural potential in Bontang City.

Since the Better Living in Malaming program, various changes have been made by Pupuk Kaltim for the community with a series of programs. Starting from improving environmental governance and developing regional potential, increasing community capacity and skills to economic opportunities from various tourism supporting business sectors.

"We thank you for the guidance and assistance of Pupuk Kaltim so far, so that Malaing is able to achieve achievements in ADWI 2023. This includes the Bontang City Government, which continues to encourage us to improve with the various supports provided," said Nasir, in a written statement, quoted Tuesday, August 29.

VP TJSL Pupuk Kaltim Sugeng Suedi, expressed his appreciation for the success of Malaning as one of the leading tourist villages in Indonesia in ADWI 2023. Moreover, of the more than 7,000 villages that were nominated, Malaning was able to win third place in the advanced tourism village category with various advantages offered.

According to Sugeng, this achievement is a new step for Making to continue to advance as well as increase its potential, especially the development of the tourism sector which is carried out so that it will have an increasingly impact on the independence of the community.

"Congratulations to Kampung Maaling for winning 3 advanced tourist villages in ADWI this year. The struggle since being nominated for the top 75 in 2022 has finally resulted in achievements as one of the leading tourist destinations in Indonesia," said Sugeng.

Sugeng explained, assistance from the Better Living in Making program was deliberately initiated by Pupuk Kaltim to provide added value, by creating a new face for the village of water. Where since 2001, Pupuk Kaltim has provided various strategic assistance to deal with various existing problems.

"Various skills are also provided, both for fishermen in increasing marine productivity and the marine cultivation sector, to the skills of housewives to create various economic opportunities," said Sugeng.

Currently, the Maaling community is much more empowered by various skills and business sectors. Among them are the innovation of processed seaweed into various products of economic value, such as soap, foam, snacks, sea cucumber cultivation and seaweed, the ability to batik Malaming business products, to homestays as a support for tourism in the area.

The development of business capacity is also carried out, namely the ability of management and promotion to target a much wider market share. Awareness of the importance of maintaining health and environmental quality is also fully realized, as evidenced by the greener the Malaming area in recent years.

Even though the program has been exited in 2022, coaching is still provided to increase the capacity of human resource managers, so that the independence of the community that has been prepared during the development of Better Living in Malaking is running optimally.

One of them is increasing the capacity of tourism managers in line with the inclusion of the 2022 ADWI 100 major nominations, so that various improvements in regional management are maximized through the role of the community with the Government and Pupuk Kaltim.

The collaboration in the development of Malaming is considered necessary, considering that the development carried out by Pupuk Kaltim so far refers to the concept of pentahelix as an element of developing tourism potential.

"Where the involvement of all elements of society such as the government, academics, companies, communities to the mass media is aimed at developing local wisdom and resources in lifting the regional tourism sector," said Sugeng.

Now Masing is ready to become a leading ecotourism destination in Bontang City, which can be enjoyed and visited by the public openly. In addition to offering beauty with the concept of marine tourism, visitors can also enjoy various facilities such as snorkling, learning to batik and seaweed cultivation, to closely see the process of making various processed products resulting from the innovation of housewives. Malaing.

"Hopefully, with ADWI's achievements this year, the Malaying community will be more empowered and prosperous, and will bring benefits to Bontang City in general," added Sugeng.

The Mayor of Bontang Basri Rase, through the Head of the Youth, Sports and Tourism Office (Dispopar) Ahmad Aznem, also congratulated the success of Malaking in ADWI 2023. He also appreciated the contribution of Pupuk Kaltim in fostering the Malayan community, which was followed by improvements and improvement in the quality of the environment in the coastal area of Bontang.

The new face of Malaming with people who are more empowered by various businesses and skills they have, has now made this area one of the leading tourist destinations in Bontang City and East Kalimantan.

"This is proof that the Bontang tourism sector has an advantage that can be seen by tourists outside the region. Hopefully Kampung Malaying will become a preferred destination for immigrants visiting Bontang," said Aznem.

Menparekraf Sandiaga Uno, said that for the last three years he was sure that tourist villages in Indonesia were ready to go global, even though in 2021 the tourism village development program was questioned because of the pandemic situation.

According to Sandiaga, the strong determination and enthusiasm to advance the economy are the background for the birth of the ADWI program, which is also supported by regional heads to tourism village stakeholders. Along with the theme "From the Village to Indonesia Rise, World Class Tourism", Sandiaga hopes that tourist villages can develop as a symbol of national economic revival through world-class tourism activities.

"This is not only a government program, but also a spiritual travel record for us. Over the past three years, it has revived the economy from the village, together with the village community with extraordinary enthusiasm," said Sandi Uno.