Thematic Villages Assessment In its Consistency Towards Sustainability

Abstract

The thematic village is one of the Semarang city government programs in alleviating poverty which is manifested in the form of a tourist destination. However, the goal of poverty alleviation is in question because the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 has stopped people’s activities. The poverty rate in Semarang City has increased by 4.56% in the last three years (2019–2021). According to that, the author wants to see the condition of the thematic villages in Semarang City after the program has been running since 2016. This study measures the sustainability of thematic villages in Semarang City during the COVID-19 pandemic based on four sustainable aspects. The research method used is a quantitative method with scoring and weighting analysis. Data collection techniques are carried out by distributing questionnaires to 200 respondents in three thematic villages, including Hasta Karya Village, Batik Village, and Ranting Pelangi Village. Based on the questionnaires, it was found that the environmental aspect is the most sustainable in all three villages. Meanwhile, the economic aspect is less sustainable, among other aspects. These results show that the sustainability of thematic villages in Semarang City needs further evaluation by the Semarang City Government, especially in terms of improving the economic aspect.