Developing Tourism Potential through Storytelling Training in Sembalun Village

West Nusa Tenggara is a province in Indonesia blessed with stunning tourist destinations, one of which is the majestic Mount Rinjani. The Rinjani region in West Nusa Tenggara offers incredible natural beauty, with its grand mountains, captivating beaches, and breathtaking waterfalls. It provides an exhilarating experience for Mount Rinjani climbers and a rich cultural attraction for travelers seeking interactions with the local community.

Black Garlic, one of the business potentials in Sembalun District

At the foot of Mount Rinjani lies Sembalun Village, boasting natural beauty with fertile land ideal for agriculture, particularly coffee plantations producing the authentic Sembalun coffee called “Kopi Nasajang.” In Sekawan Sejati, visitors can explore diverse flora and fauna, marvel at beautiful waterfalls, and visit the intriguing tourist spot known as “Batu Bedil,” where locals believe the stone emits gunshot-like sounds.

Weaving industry in Sembalun District

Sembalun District holds tremendous potential with its strategic location at the base of Mount Rinjani, providing fertile soil for various crops such as vegetables, coffee, and the unique red rice of Sembalun that thrives in highly productive areas. This fertile land also allows for the growth of high-quality coffee, including the famous Kopi Nasajang. While most Sembalun coffee farmers only sell coffee beans without processing them, one fortunate farmer received training to process coffee into a ready-to-drink product. However, the popularity of Kopi Nasajang remains limited due to only one farmer being able to produce the finished product, thus unable to meet market demand.

To unlock the full potential of Sembalun Village’s tourism, a Workshop on Storytelling has been organized in partnership with the Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Narmada Subdistrict, Sembalun Subdistrict, and the Tourism Academy of Mataram (STP Mataram). This workshop, held on 24-25 January 2023 at STP Mataram, aims to explore the benefits of storytelling, the artistic potential of Lombok as tourism promotion material, and the identification of emotional narratives for creative activities.

Worskhop Story Telling for Tourism Poster

The workshop will be conducted by esteemed speakers, including Prof. Noel Scott, Dr. Made Suyasa, and Aise Kim, with facilitation by Dr. Agnes Tuti Rumiati. On the first day of the workshop, participants will be enlightened by Prof. Noel Scott’s presentation on the “Community Resilience Initiative: Co-creation of Sustainable Food and Forest Tourism.” The discussion will revolve around the techniques of gaining profit through storytelling to attract tourists, the importance of unique branding in tourism packages, and strategies to increase tourist participation in activities, with implementation examples from various countries like Australia and China.

Dr. Made Suyasa will shed light on the “Cultural Potential of Lombok as Tourism Promotion Material,” highlighting the cultural elements that can be developed for tourism promotion, including belief systems, community organizations, knowledge, language, arts, livelihoods, and technology. The session emphasizes the dynamic approach required in developing the tourism sector.

The second day of the workshop will focus on crafting storytelling scripts, including scriptwriting, storyboarding, and presentation. Participants will present their work, which will be evaluated by Prof. Noel Scott, Aise Kim, and Dr. Agnes. Attendees will receive direct feedback on strategic development methods and have the opportunity to ask questions to the evaluators interactively. The day will conclude with an evaluation of the presentations, and awards will be given to participants with the best displays.

The workshop on storytelling promises to unleash the potential of Sembalun Village and elevate it as thriving tourism.

The speakers of the workshop

Dr. Agnes Tuti Rumiati, ITS lecturer as well as the initiator of the collaboration