Efforts to modernize rural tourism promotion continue to be intensified. This time, the community service (PkM) team from Universitas Mercu Buana Yogyakarta (UMBY) organized an artificial intelligence (AI)-based digital marketing training for the youth managing the Mbulak Among Tani tourist attraction. This educational activity took place at the Multipurpose Hall of Numpukan Hamlet, Karangtengah Village, Imogiri Subdistrict, Bantul Regency.
The program, initiated by lecturers from the UMBY Communication Studies Program, was led by Dr. Didik Haryadi Santoso, S.Kom.I., M.A., accompanied by Ikhsan Fauzi Adha, M.I.Kom. This step was taken as a solution to the lack of digital publication for the destination, which is famous for its beautiful sunset views, considering that conventional promotion methods are deemed less effective in attracting tourists on a wider scale.
Under the theme "Bringing Among Tani to the Digital World: Easy Tourism Content Creation with AI", this training emphasized that technology serves as a tool to enhance the managers' capacity, not to replace the human role. Local values, the hospitality of Bantul residents, and the agricultural landscape, which are the main attractions of the destination, remain the soul that cannot be replaced by machines.
In the opening session, participants were guided to map out tourism potential and challenges using SWOT analysis alongside local community figures. To overcome creative blocks and the managers' limited time in drafting promotional narratives, the training team provided guidance on utilizing AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude to arrange a consistently scheduled weekly content calendar.
Moving into the practical session, participants were taught visual prompting techniques using the L-S-O-D method (Background-Subject-Object details-Technical description) via Google Gemini. In addition to generating images, they were also trained to transform static photos into short cinematic videos using AI-based applications such as Runway, Pika, and CapCut to be uploaded to Instagram Reels and TikTok platforms.
Nevertheless, the training team reminded them of the importance of human curation over AI-generated content to ensure that information remains factual and aligned with the local character. The Chairman of Mbulak Among Tani, Kadim, welcomed this initiative and expressed hope that the mentoring could continue regularly to boost the economy of Karangtengah residents through a self-reliant and highly competitive tourism sector.
