THK Application at Hotel (5)

Minimizing Negative Impacts of Tourism

The border of positive and negative sides of tourism seems to be extremely thin. Pitana (2002) described it just like fire and water. It could be used for cooking and supporting life and they could also burn and sweep away. Similarly, this source of life could be the cause of disease (Balinese: merta matemahan wisia).

The former chairman of Bali’s Provincial Tourism Office proposed such a statement on his inauguration as professor at Udayana University in the middle of last year.
If Pitana gave so poetical impressions stating the positive and negative impacts of tourism, on the contrary, Sihite (2002) stated obviously that there are 17 positive impacts and 18 negative impacts of tourism. The positive impacts, among others, are like extending the opportunity to make business and job vacancies; stimulating the economic growth and people’s income; supporting the rate of vehicular and infrastructural development; flourishing indigenous culture, art of dance, music, handicraft, ritual and customary fashion. Its negative impacts are like fertilizing individualistic and materialistic attitudes; increasing crimes and illegal drug distribution; annihilating the ecological system (uncontrolled forest cutting, land and water use); pollution; wild hunting.
The current serious problem that is waiting in front of us is how to maintain and improve positive values of tourism, dam up and prevent its negative impacts.
We surely believe that by implementing tri hita karana or THK concept in hotel management, theoretically, could minimize negative impacts of tourism and multiply its positive ones. This argument refers to the position of hotels as the backbone of the tourism industry, the most important integral part of tourism product and the most complete tourism service that is received by tourists among all other services (Sulastiyono, 2002; Sihite, 2000; Soekadijo, 2000).
If this backbone, the most important integral part and complete tourism service touched by positive values, by and large, also influences positively towards the entire tourism system.
It has the same meaning as that if the THK concept has been applied wholly and purely at hotels, we thoroughly believe that it can affect other tourism sectors. If other sectors have been ‘infected’ by the THK concept, so it could automatically reinforce sustainability values of tourism itself.
Tourism, seemingly, has become the choice of Bali that possesses only 5, 632.86 km2 in extent, with limited content of natural resources and population numbering 3,1 millions with population density at 555/km2 based on Census 2000. Pitana (2003) says that the impact of tourist expense toward people’s income and investment in 1998 is respectively 45.3% and 6.3%, and absorbed 38% of total working opportunity in Bali.
According to futurologist John Naisbit in Oetama (2002), tourism is the greatest globalization industry. It absorbs 240 million employees, or 10.6% of the total world labor force. Its output is 10.2% of GNP (gross national product) or USD 3.4 quintillion. It produces USD 655 billion in tax, nearly 11% of consumer expenditure; and constitutes 10.7% of investment. Wahab (2003) estimates, foreign tourist visits in 2020 reaches 1,561,000,000, with an income USD 2,000 billions.
Such opinion and estimation seem to make the position of hotels more important and strategic as a prominent part of the tourism product in the midst of a universal industry. In Bali, seemingly, hotels or accommodation services grows rapidly. Secondary data collected by the Bali Provincial Tourist Office shows that in 1997 it was recorded that 895 hotels (19,754 rooms), in 2002 increased to 1,198 (35,212 rooms).
To prevent hotel growth not bringing about conflicts because of marginalizing the supporters of Balinese culture, it becomes necessary for hotel management to implement THK concepts that highly respect the principles of togetherness and harmonization. Both principles include all subsystems (artefactual, social and value/concept/thinking pattern), which in cultural system could be analogized to palemahan, pawongan and parhyangan.
Its palemahan has something to do with spatial order and arrangement; its pawongan to social order and arrangement; and its parhyangan to spiritual values. Supporting vehicles of the implementation of spiritual values are houses of worship or sanctums, holy activities and holy men.
(BTN/Berata Ashrama)