Tourismmorphosis Perspetive: Balinese Tourism Break Period

The Hindu community in Bali places Mount Agung as a sacred area that is highly sanctified. As the highest mountain in Bali and there is the biggest temple in Bali, Besakih Temple, Mount Agung is a symbol of the center of God's greatness and majesty. Anthropologically, the community has the belief and ways to manifest devotion to God through various attributes of religious rituals that have become traditions as a series of social activities and manifested tangibly and intangibly as meaningful symbols. Culturally the eruption of Mount Agung that has occurred will have a major impact on all components of Balinese society.

Mount Agung eruption which began to appear on September 18, 2017 has a big impact on the tourism sector in Bali. It is scientifically difficult to determine when the peak of the Mount Agung eruption (Tohlangkir) will occur. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), the central government, the provincial and district governments, as well as the security apparatus have made maximum efforts related to disaster mitigation to prevent victims from the eruption of Mount Agung. Disaster status improvement has been carried out in accordance with procedures such as based on the level and intensity of seismicity, eruption, vomit from the bowels of the earth and other symptoms as indicators that have become the standard in volcanology.

Facing the eruption of Mount Agung that affected almost all aspects of life in Bali such as cancellations (flight cancellations), and a drastic decline in tourist visits. This fact has a direct impact on the economic conditions of Bali. An understanding of all components of society is needed to be able to overcome this very complex problem. Understanding is also useful for solving problems that do not arise blaming each other, pointing at other components less responsive, especially looking for scapegoats. The reality now is that community income is declining, the threat of layoffs and the risk of tourism support facilities such as hotels and restaurants are barely able to operate.

This article attempts to convey that Bali has a long history of tourism. The development of tourism in Bali shows that the development progress of the tourism sector is not as easy as turning the palm of the hand. Processes that are natural in nature are needed other than those already planned as sectoral development. Referring to the development of tourism in Bali, it turns out to save a lot of "social records" that can be understood and to be studied as one alternative to solving problems in the present. But it must be realized the situation and conditions at the time of the incident occurred a few years ago is very different from the current situation.

Using a diachronic perspective of tourism, it appears that during the development of tourism in Bali there have been several periods of pause. Some of the social recordings are explained by explaining that there have been several "pause periods" of tourism in Bali. The intermission period referred to is when tourism is stagnant and does not give cultural, social and economic significance to the Balinese people in particular and to the Indonesian people in general.

Following are the stages of tourism development in Bali (modified from Rahardjo and Munandar, 1994 in Anom, et al., 2017 in the International Indexed Journal, Bali Study Journal Vol. 07 No. 02, October 2017) which consists of an introduction phase (1902-1913), the reaction stage (1914-1938), the institutionalization stage which was divided into three stages namely tourism in Bali (1950-1968), tourism in Bali (1969-1990), and tourism in Bali (1991-2011). Added to the discovery of a new stage as one of the results of this study is the stage of compromise in tourism in Bali (2012-2016) which is currently underway.

The introduction phase (1902-1913) indicated that Balinese tourism was more than one hundred years old when using the Heer H. van Kol benchmark for the first European tourists to visit Bali in 1902. Kol wrote in a book published in Leiden in 1902 under the title "Uit Onze Kolonien" . This book contains the story of Kol's trip to Sumatra, Java and the eastern islands. Of the 826 pages of book content, 123 pages cover Bali (Hanna, 1976). Book Kol is believed to give a new nuance of tourism in Europe to visit the eastern world, especially Bali. However, the introduction phase (1902-1913) was hampered by the situation and conditions of Bali which did not allow for further tourist arrivals. There was a tourism pause during the introduction phase. This is due to the Puputan Badung war (20 September 1906) and the Puputan Klungkung war (28 April 1908). Whereas at that time the Dutch colonial government had established an Official Tourist Bureau (OTB) located in Batavia that functioned as a regulator of tourism traffic in its region (Wijaya, 2015).

In the reaction stage (1914-1938) the first guiding book was published (Nugraha, 2006). The role of a painter Nieuwenkamp and a doctor Gregor Krause very strategically published books illustrated in the 1920s containing nearly 400 photographs of Balinese lives that attracted the European public (Picard, 2006). At that time, the beginning of modern tourism in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial era was actually caused by the inevitable expansion of the development of the global tourism industry in Europe which emerged in the era after the Industrial Revolution in England (Boorstin 1975 in Nugraha, 2006). The role of German artist Walter Spies and his friends in the commodification of Balinese art, including marketing, Mrs. Mank from the United States manages a bungalow in Kuta (Picard, 2006), Armenian businessman Jakob Minas, Thomas Cook from the United States, Cokorda Gde Raka Sukawati who takes art missions to the Paris Colonial Exposition, Chinese descent and Bugis descent including the Dutch Colonial government also played a role. for the development of tourism accommodation and tour packages. In addition, in the name of preservation Gedong Kirtya was founded, led by Liefrinck and Van der Tuk, followed by Baliseering (Wijaya, 2015). In the reaction stage (1914-1938) there was a tourism pause that occurred on January 21, 1917 a "quake" earthquake that shook Bali (Astra, 2015), cholera outbreaks starting in 1918-1922 (Muslimah, 2016) and worst of all the Japanese occupation was bleak periods of tourism in Indonesia and in Bali (Raharjo and Munandar, 1994).

At the institutionalization stage (1950-1968) President Sukarno had launched the tourism industry. The formation of institutions that overshadow tourism such as the Indonesian Tourism Foundation (YTI), the Indonesian Tourism Board (DTI) and the Regional Tourism Council (Futtro, 2012). The tourism pause period at the institutionalization stage (1950-1968) was the eruption of Mount Agung starting in 1963 and the gripping political situation beginning in 1965-1969 (Anom, et al., 2016).

At the institutionalization stage (1969-1990) planning was arranged by the central government, the form of tourism was arranged in the framework of "service" and "service" had begun in the era of President Soekarno which was continued in the New Order era (Vickers, 2013) under the leadership of the president Suharto by making a master plan for the development of Bali tourism by SCETO (Picard, 2006). The intermission period at the institutionalization stage (1969-1990) was that there were several earthquakes, namely in 1976, 1977, 1979, the world oil condition plummeted, the cold war (ending 1980) and the gulf war in 1990. Whereas in Pelita II (1974 -1979) the Indonesian government opened Bali as wide as possible to investors (Wijaya, 2015).

At the institutionalization stage (1991-2011) tourism in Bali is advancing rapidly. In 1991-2002 it was called the strengthening of Cultural tourism (Geria in Anom, et al., 2016). The results of research from the Project Management and Comprehensive Tourism Development Plan for Bali stated that tourism has become a driving force for the development of Bali. The tourism sector will remain a leading sector in the economic development of Bali in the future (Erawan, 1993). On the other hand, starting in 2004 alternative tourism (village tourism, agro-tourism, etc.) began to develop and the development of regions that were not familiar with tourism. The interim period at the institutionalization stage (1991-2011) was the gulf war in the Middle East, the fall of the New Order in 1998, the arson attacks in Bali in 1999, the Bali Bombing on October 12, 2002 and the Bali Bombing on October 1, 2005 which were accompanied by the issue of the Sars virus and bird flu. .

At the compromise stage (2012-present), Bali's tourism is progressing with adequate infrastructure, the quantity of tourist visits has increased and varied types of tourism are leading to complete tourism as an indication of the development of masstourism (Mahagangga, 2013). The gap period at the compromise stage (2012-present) is almost non-existent when the efforts of all components in Bali work together to advance tourism. There was an awareness that without Bali tourism it would be difficult to survive in daily life both directly and indirectly. Until finally starting on September 18, 2017 when the status of Mount Agung was declared to be increased to level 3 and had reached level 4, it can be agreed that Bali will again enter a pause in tourism.

At the compromise stage (2012-present), tourism in Bali adheres to the paradigm of transturism. The paradigm of transturism as a rational interpretation but does not refer to a rigid positivistic understanding (Habermas, 1990; Hardiman, 1993 in Sudrajat 1998 in Anom, et al., 2017). Hegemony (Gramsci in Bobbio 1988; Sassoon 1988a, 1988b in Nature, 014 in Anom, et al., 2017) is carried out by any institution when it is able to provide concrete evidence that its efforts and efforts in tourism have made the region more advanced and prosperous because of tourism. Sturdy synergies will occur that manifest manifestly in complementary ways but actually have a latent risk that can erupt at any time if compromise is ruled out (Anom, et al., 2017). The paradigm of ethical dimension is a shared desire of the stakeholders to strengthen one another (to be equal). As a movement of transturism pretending to facilitate the aspirations of actors to share capital and be adaptive to various typical / models of tourism amid advances in information and technology (IT), and various interventions with Balinese beliefs still have internal strengths namely traditions and customs imbued by Hinduism (Anom, et al., 2017).

Regarding the current tourism pause in Bali due to the eruption of Mount Agung, it would be very useful if the paradigm of transturism is understood not as any tourism in Bali as long as it is compromised. But the synergy of all components of compromise to be patient, maintain a conducive situation and work together for the future of Bali tourism. To the government this gap period actually gives an opportunity to focus on the development that was planned in the previous year. The practitioners of tourism, the community directly or indirectly related to tourism, including the government, are expected to understand each other's unexpected situations due to natural factors. Periods of tourism break seen from the introduction stage, the reaction stage, the institutionalization stage to the compromise stage show that tourism in Bali can always get out of times of crisis. Synergy between the central government, local governments, tourism practitioners and the community is the key to the success of Bali that has always been able to rise.

One thing that should not be forgotten is that Bali tourism was born because of its unique culture. The expectation of tourists who love Bali is that Bali must never change both its culture and nature. Hospitality is also always maintained and supported by all components including those who are not Balinese but who live and work in Bali. Bali is owned by Balinese, owned by Indonesia and belongs to the world.

This Article have been published  in the Bali Post newspaper, Opinion Column, Wednesday Paing, 13 December 2017