FIB Unhas — A team of Archaeology Lecturers from Universitas Hasanuddin (Unhas) visited Mattabulu Village, Lalabata District, Soppeng Regency, South Sulawesi Province on May 19, 2023. The activity, titled “Training on the Management of Cultural Tourism Attractions in Mattabulu Tourism Village, Soppeng Regency,” was part of the Unhas Community Service Program under the Campus Intellectual Product Business Development Program (PPMU-PPUPIK) category.
The activity was carried out over two days, Friday-Saturday, May 19-20, 2023. On the first day, the team—comprising the Team Leader, Prof. Dr. Akin Duli, M.A. (Dean of FIB UH), and two faculty members from Unhas Archaeology: Dr. Rosmawati, S.S., M.Si. and Dott. Erwin Mansyur Ugu Saraka, M.Sc.—held informal discussions with the village community. Participants included Home Stay (lodging house) managers, the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis), the Site Caretaker (Juru Kunci) of the Petta Bulu Matanre Site, and community members involved in the cultural and natural tourism creative economy. This discussion aimed to provide knowledge on managing the cultural and natural tourism destinations in Mattabulu Village. The cultural and natural tourism destinations in Mattabulu Village include (1) the Petta Bulu Matanre Site, which is the flagship destination, (2) the Tomb of Petta Awo, (3) the Tomb of Petta Abbanuangnge, as well as (4) Lembah Cinta (Love Valley), and (5) Liu Pangie Waterfall.
The community’s interest in Mattabulu Village regarding the management of its local tourism is reflected in the conversion of 10 houses into Home Stays (lodgings) for visitors, infrastructure improvements, and the establishment of organizations such as the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) and the Pada Ati Village-Owned Enterprise (BUMDes). This interest is also demonstrated by the production of various unique Mattabulu products, such as Mattabulu Coffee, Mattabulu Honey, Mattabulu Palm Sugar (Gula Aren), and Sonri Golla Mattabulu (Coconut Sugar). With the implementation of this community service program in Mattabulu Village, which has the potential to become a tourism village, it is hoped that the target community will actively participate in the creative economy and manage their natural and cultural tourism resources in the future.
