Community-Based And Spiritual Tourism Is Putting This Bali Village On The Map

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Aan Village in Bali is investing huge sums of money in improving the infrastructure of the area to help boost tourism. The small village tourism project is managed by the local community.

Last year the village came together to create the Aan Village secret waterfall tourism experience; now, they are investing in spiritual tourism opportunities.

Aan Village is located in the heart of Klungkung Regency. Bali is divided into nine administrative regencies.

Klungkung Regency covers a small pocket of the southeastern side of mainland Bali and the islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan. The village is ideally placed as a tourism destination, situated exactly an hour from the heart of Ubud.

The community is investing IDR 165,267,000 (USD 8886) into infrastructural improvements around the Pesiraman Temple at the heart of the village.

The structural developments will redirect the holy water source to allow for more activities to take place at the temple, such as melukat ceremonies.

@kristinlestari59 Healing time #bali #melukat #ceremony #fyp ♬ Gamelan Bali Indonesia Thailand(955210) – Kei

The work on the temple was formally inaugurated by the Klungkung Regent I Nyoman Suwirta, who laid the first stone for the Tirta Pelukatan Pesiraman.

At the ceremonial event, Regent Suwirta said, “Hopefully, the potential in Aan Village can be managed as well as possible so that it can help the economy of the people of Aan Village and its surroundings.”

The laying of the first stone for the Tirta Pelukatan Pesiraman was a prestigious occasion attended by key stakeholders from the regency and surrounding villages. The project will be completed within the next four months. For now, however, there is still plenty for tourists to explore at Aan Village.

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The development of tourism villages in Bali is a key focus point for tourism stakeholders on the island this year.

This is bringing about really incredible opportunities for tourists to get to experience Balinese culture at a deeper level and to experience more off-the-beaten-track (and often more authentic) destinations. It all comes as a bit to more evenly spread tourism around the island of Bali.

Aan Village is really paving the way in terms of community-led tourism initiatives in Bali.

Iconic tourism villages like Penglipuran Village remain as popular as ever, but it is the community-initiated approach employed by Aan Village which is really setting the destination apart from the rest.

@buketkarakurt1 We tour the inside of the cleanest village houses in the world😍🇮🇩 📍Penglipuran Village, Bali, Indonesia #indonesia #bali #balinese #clean #village #penglipuran #penglipuranbali #fypシ #indonesiatiktok #balilife #balivillage #balitravel #traveler #travelerreel #balireel ♬ France Accordion Swing – MIZUSATO Masaki

In August 2022, Aan Village celebrated the formal opening of the Aan Secret Waterfall experience. The series of three fast-flowing waterfalls had been used for hundreds of years as a source of fresh water and as a route to connect to neighboring villages.

But, in recent years, the forest area around the waterfalls had become clogged with waste, some of which was created by the village, and some of which had traveled downstream from further inland.

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Led by project leader Nyoman Dira, the community came together to clean up the area. Once pristine, the community worked together to create a tourism program that has been delighting visitors for nearly a year.

As a result of the community’s hard work and dedication, they were also given a ministerial grant to further invest in the small infrastructural improvements needed to ensure the tourism experience is as positive as can be. Renovations were made to the jungle walkway to make the journey to the waterfalls safer for visitors.

Aan Secret Waterfall is a must-visit in Bali, and with more investment coming into the community, tourists can be sure that the experience will continue to go from strength to strength.

What is clear is that community will continue to be at the heart of the tourism development in Aan Village, giving tourists a truly authentic Balinese adventure.

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The community of Aan Village is ticking all the right boxes for sustainable tourism development in Bali. Late last year, the Indonesian Minster for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, said that the 2023 tourism targets would be met with the promotion of sustainable and spiritual tourism.

He explained, “[these targets] can be achieved if the focus is on two strengths, namely nature and culture. In addition, tourists with a special interest in ecotourism, spiritual tourism, and religious tourism”.

Taking part in a traditional Balinese water purification ceremony, also known as a melukat ritual, remains one of the most popular spiritual experiences for tourists in Bali.

The most popular destination to take part in a melukat ritual is Tirta Empul Temple, close to Ubud, though there are dozens of temples throughout the island to undergo the cleansing process.