Rejecting Tourist Status: How Many Tourists Visit Baduy Each Year?

Kanekes Village, Lebak Regency, Banten, is the traditional territory of the *Urang Kanekes*, commonly known as the Baduy people.

The *Urang Kanekes*, or Baduy people, are an indigenous Sundanese tribe of Banten who still uphold their traditions and reject modernization, both in their clothing and lifestyle.

Due to its unique culture and natural beauty, the village was once a fairly popular alternative tourist destination.

However, recently, the trend of tourism to Baduy has been debated again by a number of netizens on Twitter, as massive tourist visits are feared to disrupt the local culture.

According to the Lebak Regency Culture and Tourism Office's Visitor Data Information System, tourist visits to Baduy peaked in 2019. That year, there were 42,174 domestic tourists and 54 foreign tourists who visited.

In the first year of the pandemic, visits to Baduy were still relatively high, with 20,319 domestic tourists and 8 foreign tourists in 2020. Then, visits decreased to 6,274 tourists throughout 2021.

Baduy Wants to Be Removed from the National Tourism Map

Previously, in July 2020, the Baduy Traditional Institution sent a letter to President Jokowi, requesting that their region be removed from Indonesia's tourism destination map.

This request arose because a number of Baduy residents felt that the presence of tourists brought problems, such as garbage and the spread of photos of Inner Baduy on the internet, which is actually forbidden in the local culture.

"In essence, the Baduy people do not object to anyone who wants to visit their area to build brotherhood," the letter stated, as reported by *Tempo.co.id* (23/7/2020).

"But the openness to everyone visiting the Baduy customary area, through the promoted tourism campaign, has resulted in a flood of tourists coming to the Baduy area," it continued.

However, this request appears to have not been followed up, because until May 2022, the Banten Provincial Tourism Office was still promoting "Baduy Tribe Tourism Village" on its official website.