Muhammadiyah university participates in fostering creative economy in tourism villages

Semarang, C Java (Indonesia Window) – Muhammadiyah Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubator (MCEBI) of Muhammadiyah Aisyiyah University has participated in encouraging creative economy players at a two-day Bootcamp event in Kreo Cave, Kandri Tourism Village, in Indonesia’s Semarang municipality, Central Java province.

A total of 97 participants from 33 chapters of the university and eight small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from 17 tourist villages in the Borobudur Tourism Area, Semarang – Karimunjawa National Tourism Destination and its surroundings took part in the 2024 Bootcamp.

“The purpose of MCEBI’s business and entrepreneurship incubation is to produce a creative, reliable and ethical younger generation,” Dr. Endang Rudiatin, Chairperson of MCEBI said here on Monday.

According to her, the MCEBI Bootcamp this time is different from that in the previous year in which all participants were students.

Collaborating with the Borobudur Authority Agency (BOB) of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, the participants, who are not only students but also creative economy players, participated in various agendas, including training and mentoring materials in certification and legality, branding packing, finance and management as well as making pitch decks and business videos as well as product displays.

“Experience in the business world and the industrial world is given by conducting interactive discussions with young entrepreneurs and resource persons from related institutions,” Endang pointed out.

She explained that MCEBI also continued the activity with business meetings to foster special expertise and improve sense of business.

The event also featured a resource person from the Ministry of Industry, which was attended by the Director of Multi-various Industry, Chemicals of Clothing and Handicrafts SMEs Alexandra Arri Cahyani, the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs’ Deputy Assistant for IT Development and Business Incubation, Yonas Dian, Director of Tourism Industry and Institutions BOB of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Bisma Jatmika, the MSME Development Institution of Central Java Muhammadiyah, the Halal Muhammadiyah LPHKHT represented by HC Unimus, while the jury team also included representatives of the Central Java Chapter of Bank Indonesia (the central bank) and the Economic Council of PP Aisyiyah.

The business meeting was attended by the Association of Indonesian Tours And Travel Agencies (ASITA), the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Muhammadiyah Economic, Business and Tourism Council, the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI), and medium business circles.

Endang and Bisma Jatmika, BOB director of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, built collaboration in the long term and had an agreement to do more entrepreneurial development in the tourism industry sector.

Likewise, Endang said that the mission and target of developing the incubation of creative economy actors in the Borobudur tourism area emphasizes on how creative economy players, including students, can provide a creative touch to tourist villages in accordance with the character of the villages which in the past was known to be friendly, caring for each other, helping each other, nurturing each other and protecting the environment.

The spirit of ancestral heritage that needs to be preserved is now referred to as local wisdom. The cooperation between BOB and MCEBI in incubating businesses of creative economy players is expected to improve the village economy.

Economic nomenclature often brings up the face of capitalization. Tourism products are known to be expensive, because many are related to services, art services, services related to satisfaction, comfort, tranquility and various humanist needs.

In the process, capitalization developed and eliminated the humanist side. “For MCEBI, building a humanist and harmonious business is more important among creative economy actors in tourist villages,” she said, adding that for MCEBI, a green economy and sustainability can be achieved through the process of humanization and harmonization. In fact, humanization and harmonization often bring capital that cannot be translated in the form of numbers”.

Business incubation activities for creative economy players in the Borobudur area and collaboration with BOB are the actualization of one mission from MCEBI, collaborating with MSMEs, farmers and fishermen to produce competitive creative economy products to be accepted in the tourism industry both domestically and internationally.

MCEBI has a vision to create entrepreneurs who are reliable and remain ethical. The culture of humanization and harmonization will be an entrepreneurial culture for MCEBI for tourist villages, one of which is preserving local wisdom. This formulation is part of the results of the 3rd National Coordination Meeting of MCEBI administrators in 2024 which was also attended by the chairman of the Muhammadiyah Central Higher Education Council, Prof. Bambang Setiaji.

Reporting by Indonesia Window