Klojen (malangkota.go.id) – Tourism City has been pinned to Malang City. However, it is meaningless if it is not followed by a sense of ownership and active involvement of its citizens. That was conveyed by the Head of the Malang City Culture and Tourism Office, Ida Ayu Made Wahyuni, SH, M.Si on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Penanggungan Village Tourism Awareness Group, Klojen District, Malang City, Thursday (12/12/2018).
Data from Disbudpar, there are still 11 Pokdarwis in Malang City. Quantitatively, from 57 sub-districts in Malang City, it is still ten percent and this is still small for a city that is declared as a Tourism City as stated in Tri Bina Cita Malang City (Student/Education City, Tourism City, and Industrial City).
Responding to this, Dayu, as the Head of the Malang City Culture and Tourism Office is familiarly called, said that mentoring and education steps continue to be carried out at the sub-district level.
"There are two things that we emphasize, namely how to encourage and motivate the community to be good hosts in supporting tourism activities and encouraging and motivating the community to improve the quality of the environment and tourist attractions," he added.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Malang, Drs. H. Sutiaji, assessed and acknowledged that the people of Malang City do not yet have a strong tourism ethos. "Our people are not like Bali or Yogyakarta. The tourism blood is not as thick as those two areas. But that doesn't mean we (Malang City) not can. I am sure and I believe I can,” said the Mayor of Malang.
Specifically, Sutiaji has encouraged Disbudpar to increase and strengthen Pokdarwis. "How come not up to 50 percent. In fact, Malang City is increasingly familiar and may also be a pioneer in the birth of thematic tourism villages. So the presence of Pokdarwis, which is indeed based on sub-districts, is very strategic," he said.
Another thing that according to the Mayor of Malang is important to do to further thicken the blood of Malang City tourism is the preparation of a permanent tourism agenda, enriching hotels with local culture and typical Malang tourism knick-knacks, strengthening tour guides and strengthening the characteristics of Malang City tourism which will be emphasized as heritage tourism.
"Another strategy is the synergy of Malang Raya tourism, because Bali and Yogya also have the same characteristics," said the bespectacled man.
Referring to the visit data, the tourism prospect of Malang City is very potential. In the 2017 Indonesia Attractive Index (IAI) event, Malang City tourism entered and received an award for a potential tourism city supported by the presence of thematic villages.
Meanwhile, the portrait of tourist visits is depicted in 2014, foreign tourists were 6.025 and domestic tourists were 2.400.093. For 2015, 8.754 foreign tourists, 3.376.722 domestic tourists. In 2016 the number of foreign tourists was 9.535 and domestic tourists 3.987.074 while in 2017 there were 12.456 foreign tourists and 4.334.947 domestic tourists. In 2018, foreign tourists reached 15.034 and domestic tourists 4.885.032.
It is estimated that, like in previous years, tourist visits to Malang City will peak in December ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Data on foreign tourist visits to Malang City in 2017, for example, based on data from BPS, recorded in September 1.066 foreign tourists, October 1.153 foreign tourists, November 1.245 foreign tourists, and increasing in December by 1.392 foreign tourists. In 2018, the estimate increased, because it was supported by the functioning of the Malang-Pandaan toll road functionally. The only obstacle analyzed was the weather factor. (say/yon)
