When Dust Is Away, Tourists Will Stay

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

Pahrul Azim

Bilebante was once referred to as desa debu (dusty village) because of its widespread sand-quarrying activities. Slowly but surely, Bilebante transformed into one of the best tourist villages in Indonesia. The achievement is inseparable from the perseverance of Pahrul Azim, 35.

Sand quarrying in Bilebante, Pringgarata district, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), dates back to the 1990s, when tens of hectares of paddy fields and plantations in the village turned into sand pits.

“Trucks and vehicles entered and left the village daily. Village roads were heavily damaged as a result, making them potholed and dusty. Therefore, Bilebante was dubbed desa debu,” Pahrul Azim said during a visit to the village Monday (7/6/2021).

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For fear of further conversions of paddy fields and plantations into sand pits, the Bilebante village administration under Rakyatul Liwaudin issued a village regulation on sand quarrying in 2007. The regulation was successful in reducing sand extraction activities.

“The activities really discontinued in 2016, when the Bilebante Green Tourist Village was officially launched,” said Pahrul.

Bilebante is now a tourist village buffering the Mandalika Exclusive Economic Zone, a super-priority destination that will host MotoGP racing.

Bilebante offers natural, cultural and culinary potentials, as well as the local wisdom of its residents. Tourists from across the globe visit the village, including from Britain, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Mexico, France and Kiribati. They are fond of cycling around the village and paddy fields, joining cooking classes, fitness therapy sessions and herbal plant gardening.

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

Pahrul Azim

A long road

The embryo of Bilebante as a tourist village began to develop in 2014 when the NTB provincial administration organized a pijar program, an acronym for sapi (cows), jagung (corn) and rumput laut (seaweed). One of its activities was training for 300 people representing micro, small and medium enterprises. Among its successful participants was Hj Zaenab from the Putri Rinjani Bilebante Women’s Cooperative. She made a seaweed concoction that attracted many people, drawing dozens of them to learn how to prepare it.

With this event, Pahrul noticed an opportunity.

“I wondered why the visits were only one day. They should be arranged to last longer and bring in more income, which will have an impact on the local community,” said Pahrul.

In 2015, he attended a workshop on tourist villages. There, he got acquainted with some circles indicating the great potential of Bilebante to become a tourist village. However, he was doubtful at first.

“I thought a tourist village was identical to mountains or waterfalls. Bilebante has none, except disused quarries,” he noted.

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Nonetheless, Pahrul remained undaunted. He kept learning about tourist villages. With the community he initiated, Pahrul ventured to enroll Bilebante as a foster tourist village. In a positive response, Bilebante was passed as one of the three villages fostered by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ).

Residents were encouraged to learn to analyze their village potentials. They identified several of them, including the oldest temple in Central Lombok, Sumur Jodoh (sacred well), Gong Gress (tourist park), Lembah Gardenia, a hill formed by abandoned sand quarries, and various handicrafts.

I thought a tourist village was identical to mountains or waterfalls. Bilebante has none, except disused quarries.

Bilebante started offering its first tourist package, which was cycling around the village. Pahrul remembers well that at the time, they had no bicycles yet, forcing them to borrow bikes from many places.

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

Pahrul Azim

In 2015, residents formed the Tourism Responsive Group of Bilebante Green Tourist Village. Pahrul was named chairman. In the following year, the Bilebante Green Tourist Village (DWH) was officially declared. Pahrul was fully supported by Bilebante Village Head Rakyatul Liwaudin.

The process was not smooth, though. A tough debate occurred when Village Regulation No.3/2016 on the management of the Bilebante Tourist Village was formulated. Some residents disagreed with Bilebante’s tourist village status because of their negative connotation of tourism.

“We tried to convince them that whoever can come as long as the prevailing norms in the village are respected,” said Pahrul.

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In brief, the regulation was finally approved. Pahrul and his team promptly drew up a tourism program. Yet pressure came from sand mining entrepreneurs.

“As chairman of the tourism responsive group and village officer, I became a target of sand quarrying businessmen’s intimidation and bribery,” said Pahrul.

They, added Pahrul, wanted an amendment to the Bilebante Regulation No. 3/2016. The regulation stipulates that one of the potentials of DWH-Bilebante is the expanse of paddy fields. In fact, this expanse was being eyed by sand businessmen for their quarrying. Pahrul was persistent. He rejected their offer of tens of millions of rupiah. He kept working on new packages for tourists, including Pasar Pancingan (culinary and angling market), which later popularized Bilebante.

The hard work of Pahrul and local residents was fruitful. In 2017, Bilebante earned the Best Village prize from the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry as part of the 2017 Tourist Village Awards. Bilebante was evaluated as capable of promoting its economy through village tourism.

Today, no more dusty roads can be found in Bilebante. The village’s main highway has been covered with smooth asphalt. The village economy is also thriving along with the ever-booming sector of tourism there. This development enhances residents’ confidence. Those who were previously pessimistic have begun taking part in tourist activities.

Pahrul Azim

Born: Dasan Telaga, Oct. 11, 1985

Wife: Netti Anggraini, 37

Education: First degree in Tarbiyah (Islamic education)

This article was translated by Aris Prawira