Sustainable tourism development based on local participation: Case study on Dalegan District for the East Java tourism industry

Abstract

Coastal areas and small islands has considerable management potential, however several studies have shown that these conditions do not make the management of coastal areas in Indonesia optimal. The purpose of this research is to try to answer important issues regarding how sustainable tourism development affects people's lives and livelihoods. This research presents debates in sustainable tourism development by paying attention to the concept of sustainable development and investigating the main problems of developing sustainable tourism development. The methodology used in this research is qualitative by using focus group discussions (FGD) with 50 people in the village of Dalegan to obtain data from important informants. The results of the research show that the lack of attention to the environmental sector in the village makes coastal tourism objects less attractive to tourists. The development of local communities must also go hand in hand with sustainable tourism development, the relationship between government and coastal managers in Dalegan also needs strengthening. The perception of visiting experiences reinforced by the presence of local communities is essential to increase the number of tourists to create a conducive economic climate. We suggest that the socio-economy should coexist with environmental sustainability and a sustainable tourism development framework must be created to address heterogeneity and complexity in a regional scope.