UNAIR NEWS Destination Branding with local wisdom innovation brings four Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) students to receive funding in the Student Creativity Program of Humanities Social Research (PKM-RSH) 2022. The talented students are Berliani Rosi, Intan Sukma Cahyani, Sinta Fanidatus Solichah, and Difa Inggrayuwana under the supervision of Rumayya Batubara SE MReg Dev PhD.
The idea attempts to realize the Sustainable Tourism Development in Kampung Majapahit, Bejijong village, said the team leader, Berliani Rosi.
Kampung Majapahit, located in Bejijong village, Trowulan sub-district, Mojokerto, is a highly potential tourist village with the magnificent beauty of nature, rich heritage and culture, and creative industry. However, the tourist village development should never destroy the cultural values like what happened in other spots.
However, Kampung Majapahit is rich in potential and local wisdom. For instance, the local belief in Mbah Biyung as the first settler of Bejijong village; religious tolerance values reflected in the Buddha statue among the Muslim community; and the local belief in the Maja tree as the origin of the Majapahit Kingdom. It adds the existence of local wisdom, which leads to improvement or an increasing number of tourists.
To prevent the omission of local wisdom due to tourist village development, we need the destination branding strategy to maintain the sustainability, explore the culture of Bejijong village, and realize sustainable tourism development, said Rosi on Monday, August 8, 2022.
Rosi and her team conducted several stages of destination branding in Kampung Majapahit. First, she interviewed the local public figures and the village head of Bejijong to collect more information on the local wisdom of Bejijong village communities. They conducted a questionnaire survey for the communities and the visitors of Brahu Temple, Siti Inggil, and the Sleeping Buddha statue.
The research will give feedback and recommends the government in developing the village tourist. It aligns with the governments goal of national economic recovery through the local community involvement in tourism.
Hopefully, the PKM allows the students to contribute more in building the nation through innovative ideas or newly applicable knowledge as an evaluation for the government and the communities, she hoped.
Author: Haryansyah Setiawan
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
