The Bachelor in Tourism of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Gadjah Mada University held a fun trail run entitled ‘NYIGAR ALAS WATUSIGAR’ on Sunday (12/10) at Taman Soka, Watusigar, Ngawen, Gunungkidul as part of its community service program. The event, which was attended by hundreds of participants, offered two categories with distances of 7 km and 15 km. Participants came not only from Yogyakarta but also from outside the city, such as Magelang, Karanganyar, Klaten, and surrounding areas.
Mohamad Rachmadian Narotama, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., as the head of the event organizer, said that the purpose of the event was to introduce the existence of Sembrani Watusigar Tourism Village through a on-trend and sustainable event. According to him, Watusigar has begun to be recognized as a tourism village with cultural attractions and local products, but its market segment remains limited due to the highly specific nature of its tourism products and relatively high prices for the general public. “Through this event, Watusigar Village can be introduced to a wider audience,” said Rachmadian on Sunday (12/10).
In addition to introducing Watusigar Village to the wider community, the trail running event also targeted young people who love running in nature. This activity succeeded in opening up attractive opportunities for new tourists with different interests. ‘I myself am very happy to see the enthusiasm of the runners who came from various regions, and I salute the solidarity of the running community that supported the success of this event,’ he concluded.
Rachmadian also hopes that this event can continue and be managed more professionally, generating income for the surrounding community. ‘I hope that the partnership that has been built with the running community can continue, and that there will be various similar events in the future, and I hope that they can be managed professionally,’ he said.
The running route for this event was designed by Rahmad Danaji, a representative of the Watusigar community, together with Muhammad Alif, a 2021 graduate of the Tourism Study Programme at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Gadjah Mada. This activity was also supported by the managers of Sembrani Tourism Village, Jangkrik Wesi, Prima Melati Watusigar Village, HIMAPA, Sriharjo Forest Trail Run, community partners (Gunungkidul Runners, Gunungkidul Trail Runners, Clongop Academia, SruntalSruntul, Blusukan Runners, and Bantul Runners), the running community in general, as well as the Gunungkidul Regency Tourism Office and the Watusigar Village Government. The event was opened and the flag-off for the 7k and 15k categories was conducted by Giman, the Village Head of Watusigar.
Giman expressed his appreciation for the fun trail run held in Watusigar. The village administration also fully supports the event and hopes that it can be held again in the future to promote tourism potential. ‘We hope that it can become a regular annual event in the coming years in Sembrani Tourism Village,’ said Giman.
Author: Leony, Editor: Gusti Grehenson, Photo: Watusigar Fun Trail Run Organizing Committee
[Reposted from ugm.ac.id]
