Experts from UN Tourism Visit Taro Village for Best Tourism Villages Initiative

UBUD, Bali (BPN) – Taro Tourism Village in Gianyar Regency, Bali, takes part in the prestigious international event “Best Tourism Village” (BTV) organized by the United Nations on Tourism (UN Tourism).

Previously known as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), UN Tourism is a global tourism body under the United Nations (UN). This organization focuses on the development of tourism in UN member countries.

One of its programs is the development of community-based tourism through tourism villages.

Every year, UN Tourism organizes the global BTV event to recognize tourism villages that have successfully developed sustainable tourism pillars.

Taro Tourism Village is one of the villages  included in the Upgraded Program BTV since 2023.

“Upgraded Program means that the tourism village has been evaluated previously over a certain period, but there are still some requirements to be met in order to achieve the minimum score of 80,” said Prof. Amran Hamzah, a tourism expert from UN Tourism, during his visit to Taro Village on Monday (February 10, 2025).

According to him, Taro is very close to meeting the minimum requirements to become the winner in the UN Tourism BTV 2025, with only a few minor shortcomings to address before the award ceremony, which will be held in conjunction with World Tourism Day 2025 in September.

Prof. Amran was very impressed when he heard the background story of how Taro Tourism Village was established.

“Starting with the goal of preserving nature and promoting environmental cleanliness, as I heard from the Chief of the Village, the bottom-up concept that led to tourism as a bonus is a strong social foundation for sustainability,” said the Professor in Tourism Planning at University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Vice Chair of SEA Regional IUCN-WCPA.

Meanwhile, the Head of Taro Village, I Wayan Warka, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the visit from the UN tourism expert team to monitor the Upgraded Program BTV.

“We are also highly motivated because we have gained much knowledge and information from Prof. Amran about sustainable development through tourism. Hopefully, this will further advance our village and community in Taro, which is very solid in synergy with the village apparatus and all communities in our 14 banjar (traditional villages),” said Wayan Warka.

Preparation for the World BTV 2025 has been underway for several months.

The Pokdarwis team, led by I Wayan Gede Ardika, has collaborated with BUMDES (village-owned enterprise) and relevant village officials, as well as DTW (tourist destination management).

“The presence of Prof. Amran as an expert from UN Tourism is something we’ve been eagerly awaiting to learn more about global tourism, especially regarding the completion of the 8 BTV assessment indicators that we still need to address from the previous Upgraded Program,” said the head of Taro Village’s Pokdarwis.

On the first day, general presentations and discussions on sustainable tourism were held at the Semara Ratih DTW and Kunang-Kunang Garden DTW, followed by a visit to the Mason Elephant Park to review the institutional relationships with local business operators.

The following day will include a review of agricultural potential and sustainable environmental management, face-to-face meetings with stakeholders from the industry, academics, and associations, monitoring social, economic, cultural, and ecological impacts, and other aspects in accordance with the 8 BTV pillars criteria.