Tourism Award “Karya Karana”

For the first time, the Bali Provincial Government has attached a tourism award “Karya Karana” to the pioneer and the official figure in the Bali tourism sector. This event will become an annual tradition that will be held right on future anniversary celebrations by the Bali Provincial Government each August.
The reward is only attached to the artisan and cultural observer for meritorious achievement. “Starting next year, the tourism and sports figure will also get a reward,” said Bali Governor, Dewa Made Beratha, on the “Karya Karana” conferral night, on the 13th November.
According to Head of Bali Tourism Authority, Prof. I Gde Pitana, a team from government, private, and academic sectors chooses the award receiver. “They are the tourism stakeholders. Their assessments are truly objective,” he said. The receiver was divided into pioneer figures, developers, and specific services.
Bali Travel News will present the profile of two receiving figures of “Karya Karana” in each edition starting with 1st edition, December 2003.

I Nyoman Oka (1911-1993)
Nang Lecir is the popular assumed name for I Nyoman Oka. He is one of the first time Balinese tour-guides who possess a high cultural erudition, and professionalism as well. Nang Lecir was born in Beratan village, Singaraja, in 1911. Just like the generation of his era, after graduated from elementary and junior school of the Dutch era, he then proceeded to teach at candidate school. He once decided to become a teacher, but this is not the only profession that he is occupied with. He became a post office employee in Surabaya. In the national revolution era of the 1940’s, he participated in battles against the colonialist. He once officiated as Head Council of Swapraja District Government of Tabanan in 1950’s. He carried out this occupation as a part of his activity in the political realm, especially in Partai Nasional Indonesia (Indonesian National Party).
After entering several professions, Nang Lecir finally turned his pace to the tourism world. An important area he contributed to be as the director of NV Tourism Alliance Bali, in brief, NV Bali Tour Ltd, the first travel biro in Bali formed on the 30 April 1956. The organiser of NV Bali Tour is I Gst Made Bengkel (private) and Ida Bagus Oka (merchant), whilst I Nyoman Oka was appointed as the director. I Gusti Putu Merta, who at a former time became Head of the Bali Legislative Board, officiated as one of the commissioners. Bali Tour asked for permission to run their office at the Bali Hotel, but failed because the room and space were limited. However, Bali Tour still permitted them to run a business activity in the hotel, such as operating taxis, buses, selling a kecak dance package and other spectacle packages. Bali Tour handles plenty of foreigners. Up until the end of the 1950’s, Bali Tour twines a corporation with 13-travel biros. The rapid expansion of Bali Tour finally was intercepted by the central government.
Through the Minister of Land Communication and PTT, GPH Djatikusumo, the central government expelled the government decree SK No. H 2/4/9, 30 March 1960, which contained the enactment of central Nitour biro travel in Jakarta as the enterprise agency that is responsible of directly serving exertion to the international tourist. In other words, Nitour was given a monopoly authorization to handle the foreign tourist, whilst Bali Tour could only handle the domestic tourist, which was undeveloped at that time. The central government policy caused the business motion of Bali Tour to vanish.
The chance of survival for Bali Tour would be the willingness to join with Nitour. But the Director of Bali Tour, Nang Lecir refused explicitly to join, “If it’s necessary, I rather choose to be a peanut seller rather than to join with them,” said Nyoman Oka expressively. The government’s decree for interrupting Bali Tour’s business lightly disperses. Of late, the name Bali Tour appears as a popular name in the travel biro business in Bali, however, it indirectly connected with NV Bali Tour that is lead by Nang Lecir.
Even though his travel biro dispersed, Nyoman Oka is still occupied in the travel biro business as a tour-guide. His experience as a tour-guide since the 1950’s continued with high professionalism, receiving many awards, including the Indonesian tourism figure by Asia Pacific travel biro association (PATA) in the form of a “Hall of Fame” placard. As a tour-guide, an important experience for Nyoman Oka was when he accompanied a famous magazine, National Geographic, which ran an exhaustive article with gorgeous picture.

Anak Agung Pandji Tisna (1908-1978)
Pandji Tisna was born in Singaraja, on the 11 February 1908 is known as man of letters, whereas behind his popularity he is one of the pioneer figures of Bali tourism development, especially for northern Bali. He was the pioneer and accommodation founder of west beach Buleleng that was later famed as Lovina beach. Now, when people admire Lovina and ask who is the person that opened the area for the first time, the answer is the man of letters Pandji Tisna.
The Lovina exposure story became a tourism resort in August 1953, when Pandji Tisna who at that time had already wrote many popular novels such as Ni Rawit Ceti Penjual Orang (1935) and Sukreni Gadis Bali (1936) started choosing the beach in Tukad Cebol village (now Kaliasem village), about 10 km westward Singaraja, as his resting place. There, he builds his own resting place accommodation and wrote as well, receiving foreign and domestic tourists. Besides a guesthouse with three rooms, he built b a restaurant to complement. The accommodation name is called Lovina, which is means love Indonesia. Lately, the entire calm beach area is named Lovina.
Lovina Beach became famous because of Pandji Tisna’s publication together with his writer friends from various countries who once came to Lovina. In 1973, the second accommodation opened and named Tasik Madu. Soon after the1970’s, other accommodations emerged side-by-side, which makes Lovina devoted to by many tourists, especially they who love wandering, and stay for long periods. Watching dolphin attractions is one important affinity of Lovina.
Pandji Tisna’s idea in developing Lovina is purely his own personal idea. As an author, he loves nature very much. The scenic and peaceful nature doesn’t only supply a writing inspiration, but also an inheritance that needs to be conserved for our descendants. The idea of developing Lovina is one manifestation concept of Tri Hit Karana (THK), which is maintaining the environment’s harmony, harmonic affiliation among humans, and harmonic affiliation between human and God.
Recently, Lovina had developed to become one of the greatest popular tourism areas in Bali that is visited by domestic and overseas tourists. On last August, for the first time, the artisan, public figure supported by the government and private alliance executed the Festival Lovina I. That event was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lovina. On that memorial event, Pandji Tisna’s was the pioneer and forerunner of Northern Bali tourism admitted by the public and government.
(BTN/04)