Singaraja- Panji Village, Sukasada District, is one of the villages in Buleleng Regency which has tourism potential that is not inferior to other regions. Its location close to Singaraja City, this village has beautiful nature combined with tourist objects that have been determined and will be managed by pokdarwis in the local village, namely the Bhuana Kertha Monument, Bhuana Kertha Temple, Bukit Panji Temple, and the Forest Area in Bukit Temple. This object can be categorized as heroic tourism.
Efforts to generate this potential have been carried out by the village government so that it is able to provide added value to the village, which ultimately leads to an increase in the welfare of the village and the community. This effort was welcomed by academics from the University of Education of Ganesha (Undiksha) through the Community Service (P2M) program. The team consisting of Dr. Nyoman Dini Andini, S.ST.Par, M.Par., Putu Indah Rahmawati Ph.D., and Trianasari Ph.D., provided assistance and training on thematic tourism promotion based on natural and heroic tourism.
The first innovation made was a tour package product which was packaged in the form of a brochure and a pocketbook on the potential of the Panji Tourism Village. The presence of the Covid-19 pandemic demands innovation for sustainable promotion, introducing the potential that exists in tourist villages. The program initiated by the Undiksha P2M team is making a virtual tour. “The Tourism Awareness Group in Panji Village needs assistance in doing marketing because pioneering something new during the Covid-19 pandemic and making the tourism potential in Panji Village famous requires innovation so that tourists can still experience the existing tourist objects in Panji Village. Creating a virtual tour is one of the solutions,” explained the Team Leader, Dini Andini, Saturday (16/10/2021).
Explained further, a virtual tour or called a panoramic tour is a simulation of a place that really exists, usually consisting of a collection of photos, such as panoramic photos, a collection of images connected by hyperlinks, or videos, as well as locations that can be searched via Google Map. Besides that, it also uses other multimedia elements such as sound effects, music, narration, and writing.
Delivered further, the training was conducted from April to November 2021 with the aim of the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis). The training and assistance are expected to produce better tourism development and promotional value and can result in an optimal increase in human resource skills. Dini Andini also mentioned that this P2M activity not only has an impact on the tourism sector but also on improving the partner’s economy. The success of this program will also provide input to the regional government in order to take all forms of policy in conducting guidance related to tourism observer groups in Panji Village. “Meanwhile, the relationship between this program and other academics is that this program can be used as a pilot program, to be able to generate good ideas that can benefit the progress of the village,” he explained.
In addition to training on making virtual tours, the P2M team also designed a master plan in the form of a tourist village map which can then be used as a reference in Panji Village tourism development. “We hope that the program we are implementing can provide benefits to the village and can contribute to the development of the Panji tourism village in the long term,” he added.
The Head of Panji Village, Made Mangku Ariawan expressed his appreciation for this P2M program. “I express my highest appreciation to Undiksha which has made a very, very positive contribution to Kami Village, Panji Village, and Buleleng Historical Village. And this is very useful for us in Panji Village in explaining the potential of our village,” he concluded. (hms)
