What's happening in PresUniv
August 19–21, 2023, three lecturers from the Faculty of Business, President University (Presuniv), who are members of the village tourism research team, invited foreign tourists from China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, and Timor Leste to visit Kutu Wetan Village in Jetis District, Ponorogo Regency, East Java. The research team consists of Filda Rahmiati, Ph.D., Grace Amin, S.Psi., M.Psi., and Felix Goenadhi, S.Psi., M.Par. Their research project, which started in 2021 and will conclude this year (2021–2023), is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology through their Higher Education Applied Research Scheme for Excellence. The research project aims to analyse and empower community-based tourism in Kutu Wetan Village.
As a result, they found that Kutu Wetan has sufficient resources to develop their tourism sector. The villager's cultural heritage includes a traditional Reog Ponorogo dance with an interesting history for tourists. Moreover, since 2023, Reog Ponorogo has officially been included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage submission list from UNESCO. In addition, this village also has other areas of historical interest and natural beauty. To realise this potential, there needs to be a collaboration between the community, government, media, academia, and the business world, also referred to as the called Penta-Helix Model.
During the visit, foreign tourists are invited to enjoy several cultural attractions. They watched a performance of the Reog Ponorogo dance near the rice fields and also visited the historical tourist attraction at Suru Kubeng. The availability of supporting facilities, such as their culinary heritage, is also one of the attractions of this village. Among them are ponorogo satay, catfish chips, and catfish nuggets. Besides that, there are also handicrafts available from craft shops. There, tourists can see firsthand the women from the local community making various handicrafts. (JB Susetiyo, report by Filda Rahmiati, Grace Amin, and Felix Goenadhi. Photo: Doc. Presuniv
