Officially Has A Regional Regulation, West Java Provincial Government Can Allocate Funds For Villages To Develop Tourism Objects

Head of West Java Tourism and Culture Office Benny Bachtiar (Photo Via ANTARA)

BANDUNG - West Java Province officially has a Regional Regulation on Tourism Villages after it was stipulated in a plenary meeting between the Governor of West Java M Ridwan Kamil and the West Java DPRD.

Head of the West Java Tourism and Culture Office, Benny Bachtiar said, with the regulation, the West Java Provincial Government could provide financial assistance for villages that have tourist attractions.

"With the existence of a regional regulation, the development of tourist attractions in villages will be facilitated from the aspect of accessibility and amenity development. As well as supporting facilities and infrastructure for tourist villages in the form of financial assistance and grants," he said in Bandung, Antara, Monday, March 28.

According to Benny, the regional regulation is important considering that West Java is rich in tourist destinations. Tourism is also lined up to be the backbone of the current West Java economy.

"Apart from being a driver of economic activity, tourism is the main source of regional income," he said.

He added that one of the characteristics of tourism potential in West Java is the existence of an industry based on local resources. This condition is very friendly to the absorption of local resources which are labor intensive and effective in absorbing labor and opening up business opportunities in the region.

In West Java, said Benny, there are several tourist villages that are part of the tourism development plan.

These include Jelekong Tourism Village and Laksana Tourism Village in Bandung Regency, Cibeusi Tourism Village in Subang Regency, Cibuntu Tourism Village in Kuningan Regency, and Tourism Villages around the Bogor-Cianjur-Sukabumi National Park.

However, he said, so far the existence of some of these tourist villages has only been limited to tourism development plans because the regions do not yet have regulations for the development of tourist villages.

"The local government does not yet have a policy on how to empower this tourist village," he said.

Therefore, the existence of this Tourism Village Regulation is expected to facilitate villages in West Java that have tourism potential to become tourist villages. Thus, it will have the potential to improve community welfare and increase village income.

The points in the Tourism Village Regulation include mapping and developing the potential of tourist villages, empowering tourist villages, supporting the provision of tourism village infrastructure, and tourist village information systems.

Then, cooperation and synergy, awarding, establishment of tourism village communication forums, community and business participation, guidance to district/city local governments, supervision and financing.

Provisions regarding the procedure for providing financial assistance or grants are regulated by a separate governor regulation.

"For developing and advanced tourist villages will be facilitated by the province, and for tourist villages in the advanced and independent category will be facilitated by the central government," he said.