[ Main Menu ]

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF TOURISM

When his parents died, Putu inherited their home stay. His four brothers inherited, respectively, some farming land, an art shop, a set of gamelan instruments and, finally, some cash, each of equal monetary value. Everything was divided up openly and fairly, and everyone was happy.

But things didn't stay that way for long. Wayan discovered that the farming land he had inherited wasn't particularly fertile, so he ended up building a hotel on it. And only when the hotel was transformed into a motel did he start making him some money. 

I only rent out my rooms to tourists, not to Balinese. and the prostitutes they bring here are all non-Balinese, " said Wayan, "I'm working on the Bangkok model. The important thing for me is making kids can go to school, and that I fulfill my traditional communal duties."

But Made, the second child, refused to give in. He closed his art shop, because it wasn't bringing in enough money. He didn't want to live a life of just getting by, he wanted to live comfortably! "Tourists have been coming here having a good time for so long now. Why should we Balinese remain as mere exhibits?" quizzed Made, cynically "Why should we, the owners of this paradise isle, have to live on the bread line? Balinese people also have the right to have a car, to sleep in a hotel, to eat in the best restaurant. Balinese people have the right to live a life of luxury. What's the difference, really, between us and the white people.

So Made closed his art shop. He bought a fleet of motorbikes and rented them to tourism. It brought in a tidy profit, and he was able to live comfortably.

The world has changed. Bali has to change too, Nyoman! "Made advised his younger brother. "Bali is not a museum and we are not fossils. We are living beings who have a right to determine our own future. We also have the right to tourism and not just the objects of tourism, We can't live any more the way our ancestors used to live. The tourists aren't that interested any more in buying statues, they want to boon around the mountain roads. We'll die of hunger waiting for them to come and buy something from our shops, we have to adapt to their demands. This is real! We need a cultural revolution, Nyoman! Just sell your inheritance!"

Nyoman, who inherited the set of gamelan instruments, was moved. But the village needed his gamelan for ceremonies. The gamelan earned him respect in the village One day, he met the curator of a museum who was looking to buy a gamelan to exhibit in his museum. When she saw Nyoman's gamelan, she offered him a pric that he couldn't refuse.

With great humility, Nyoman apologized to his village for his decision to sell his gamelan. In the meantime, he replaced the gamelan with a sound system, so that village ceremonies could now be accompanied by the sound of recorded gamelan music. "We have entered the age of globalization, the age of advanced technology," he said to the villagers. "Our religious life needs to adapt to that technology. Anyway, I what's the difference between gamelan played live and recorded gamelan music? Both make the same noise. In  spiritual matters, the means is not as important as the end. Isn't that so?"

So Nyoman convinced the villagers that selling the gamelan was a good idea, and it was taken away overseas. Then Nyoman moved house, and set himself up in the electronic goods and used car trade. He became rich. And even though he never did buy another gamelan set for his village as he had promised, they were proud of him 1 anyway. He was one of their own, and he had found success.

"So Ketut," said Nyoman to his younger brother, "we have to get a grip on what's going on at the moment. Don't let yourself be lulled by others' praise of Bali as the island of dreams. At the moment, lots of tourists still come to Bali, but it won't be long before they get bored. Bali will be left behind, and the tourists will start to go else where the facilities and services are better. You have to start doing something now, seize the day! Withdraw your money and invest in a business, don't just let it lie idle! "

Ketut agreed with his brother. He with drew all his money and, after thinking long and hard, decided to invest in the tourism industry. Ketut looked into a luxury hotel, a golf course, a casino and a motor circuit.

"There must be a good reason why so many people are investing in these big, expensive projects," said Ketut. "Surely it's because they believe they'll bring huge profits. Just think, so many tourists come to Bali each year. And I don't think they come to see Bali anymore. No. They don't come for Bali. They just want to do whatever they do at home. So why don't we make sure we provide them with all the things, all the services and facilities, they can get at home?"

In the end, Ketut, decided to put his money into something to do with night life. He surveyed the industry, and opened a restaurant. But his restaurant also happened to be a night club, a massage parlour, and space for trading illicit drugs.

"This is just for tourists, not for Balinese," said Ketut to Putu, imitating his older brothers. "I work hard for this business, Putu, and I am strict, too. Not one Balinese is allowed to enter, because that would be the ruin of us. The tourists can do whatever they want, it's their business. As long as they pay. The main thing, Putu, is that we Balinese cease playing the role of objects. Now they are our object! Isn't that right?"

Putu pondered Ketut's advice. He also thought about what his other brothers had said.

"I'm also getting something out of tourism, but in my own way," said Putu. "With my home stay, I provide people with the opportunity to experience and learn about Balinese culture. And the experience of  a Bali will never be finished, because this place no souvenir. I try to make them feel at home while they are experiencing Bali, but not by providing them with the high life. I provide for families. I give their kids a separate room. But I never feel like an object or an exhibit, even if I do always consider them, the tourists, as the subjects of my work. If I treat them like fellow humans, they reciprocate and respond to me likewise. Now my home stay, is fully booked for ten years! And my guests are always concerned for my integrity as Balinese person, so I don't need to run around panicking about paying the tourists back for exploiting us. They don't want to exploit
us! It's we who allow ourselves to be exploited.

Putu then asked his older brothers "Have I been exploited by the tourists, because I consider them as subjects? Or is it you, my brothers, you who are so convinced that you are exploiting the tourists, who are, in the end, losing out? 

Putu Wijaya is a wellknown and a well respected artist in Indonesia. Born in the  Regency of Tabanan, this  Balinese artist also  has an international   reputation. He is known for his the atre arts, movie direction, and especially for his short story writing . Beside producing many world-class theatre performances, he is also recognized as a highly productive writer, many of his books - such as "Blok" and "Prrotes"- reaching best seller status. His works aim to shock and confront the reader, which is, according to Wijaya, an  entertainment   element  designed to grab the audience's attention.