CONCEPTUALIZATION OF TURNER'S VULNERABILITY – MOUNTAINOUS GEOGRAPHICAL TOURISM SENSITIVITY TO NATURAL DISASTER

Abstract

While interest in studying the impact of natural disasters on tourism is growing, a noticeable gap exists in exploring destination-level tourism sensitivity, particularly in geographical contexts. This study addresses this gap by using the 2015 Ranau earthquake as a case study to assess the sensitivity of mountainous geographical tourism to natural disasters, employing the Turner Vulnerability Framework. In-depth interviews with Ranau's tourism entrepreneurs and operators, selected through purposive sampling, provide insights, and thematic analysis is conducted to understand qualitative responses comprehensively. The findings reveal that mountain tourism in Ranau showed significant sensitivity to the 2015 earthquake, primarily attributed to the Source element, including tourism products, business size, development, and perceived disaster impact. In contrast, the Power elements exhibited relatively lower sensitivity. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring geographical-based adaptations within tourism systems in response to natural disasters and emphasize integrating natural disaster management into tourism development for long-term sustainability.