Applied Foreign Language students visited the island of Bali for Fieldwork Course (in Indonesian, known as KKL) from 20 to 24 May. On this year’s field trip to the Island of the Gods, students learned about tourism management.

Bali is a province known to rely on tourism as its main source of income. The students conducted field observations to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how tourism objects there are managed together with the local community. One type of tourism that is developing very well in Bali is village tourism. In this KKL, the students had the opportunity to visit Panglipuran Traditional Village, which applies the concept of a sustainable village by maintaining ancestral traditions.

In Panglipuran Traditional Village, visitors can enter the yard of a local resident’s house. This is even encouraged because local residents open businesses in their yard areas. There are many things offered by local residents, ranging from snacks, fruits to traditional clothing rentals. Here, students can also observe how the houses still maintain the traditional Balinese house layout.

In addition to visiting Panglipuran Village, Applied Foreign Language students also visited the Bali Provincial Tourism Office. There, the team was welcomed by Mrs. Ni Nyoman Krisnawati in the Edna Room, Tourism Office of Bali Province. The students received an explanation about tourism governance in Bali, where Bali Province is currently aggressively diversifying tourism. The goal is to not only depend on tourist attractions or the hospitality industry alone. One thing that is being pushed by the provincial government is the creative industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel and restaurant business was closed but the creative industry remained active. The creative industry in Bali includes the production of handicraft goods, air freshener products, body scrubs, and many others. Ms. Krisna said that in addition to the creative industry, the Bali provincial government is currently also developing health tourism.

The visit to Bali in the framework of KKL is expected to add insight to Applied Foreign Language students in tourism management. Students can also see the direct application of what they learn in lectures.