Malang, en.SERU.co.id – In the quiet hills of Ampelgading Tourism Village, Tirtoyudo District, Malang Regency, Heri Mujiono has spent the past 37 years turning a little-known rural community into a destination that regularly draws visitors from around the world.
A lecturer by profession and a passionate tourism practitioner, Heri’s journey began in 1988 after graduating from SPMA Negeri Tanjung Malang. He worked as a teacher and technical staff member at PTP 26 plantation in Banyuwangi before taking a job as a gardener at an international hotel.
“Mine has been a journey of accumulated experience. Many people looked down on my role as a gardener, but my English skills opened the door for me to become a plantation tour guide. From hoe to guidebook, I learned that every place has value if you can tell its story properly,” Heri said.
That storytelling ability would later become the foundation of something much bigger.
From Skepticism to Success
The idea to develop Ampelgading as a tourism village emerged in 2013, but it initially faced resistance from local residents. Instead of arguing, Heri took a practical approach: for three straight years (2013–2016), he personally brought foreign tourists to the village to demonstrate its potential.
“I didn’t debate with words. When the community saw the direct economic impact from the visitors, support gradually followed,” he recalled.
With backing from the Malang Regency Tourism Department, the village established a Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) and LADESTA. Under Heri’s leadership, a small team began developing tourism experiences rooted in local strengths.
Ampelgading offers more than scenic views. Visitors are invited to truly immerse themselves in village life. Programs include educational tours on local wisdom, visits to the nearby Buddhist temple (Vihara Buddha), and traditional dance performances. Tourists can also participate hands-on in coffee, cocoa, and salak farming, join cooking classes to make traditional kue apem, and learn to craft items from young coconut leaves (janur).
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Heri, now a senior tour guide with the Malang HPI (Indonesian Tour Guide Association), ensures all experiences are delivered by guides fluent in English, Dutch, and Japanese. The village operates on a genuine Community-Based Tourism model, where residents act as hosts to their guests.
The village has also become a practical learning ground for tourism students, who regularly volunteer during visits to gain real-world experience.
While Ampelgading now welcomes guests from Italy, the Netherlands, France, Australia, and beyond, Heri says his proudest achievement isn’t visitor statistics.
“We can use tourism as a tool to uplift the dignity of the village. As long as we hold firmly to local wisdom and package it into compelling stories, the world will come on its own,” he said. (dik/mzm)
