Implementation of physical environment of sustainable tourism based on tourism village. Case study: Situngkir Village.

Abstract

The development of the environmental element, which is a component of Sustainable Tourism, becomes a foundation in developing sustainable tourism in Toba Lake. Study of the application of environment's physic is needed to keep the environment of Toba Lake well maintained so that it provides the needs of the present while ensuring the options still being preserved for future. Pangururan, the capital of Samosir Island, consists of several villages that can be developed into Tourism Village, one of which is the Situngkir village. The attraction which exist in Situngkir Village, Pasir Putih Situngkir, has the potential to increase the number of tourists traveling to the village. Meanwhile, the main cause of this beach being unvisited is because of the untreated condition. The purpose of this research is to develop environment-based Sustainable Tourism to increase the number of tourists and to maintain sustainability in the village. This research uses the mixed method, combining the elements of environment and tourism village followed by direct observations, questionnaires distribution, depth interviews with five key respondents, and interviewing stakeholders in the area. The result shows that there is a lack of public awareness of environmental hygiene that can affect the quality of tourist attractions, as well as lack of facilities to maintain the cleanliness of the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to educate the surrounding community about the importance of quality in a tourist attraction, the provision of adequate facilities, and the need of support from stakeholders in maintaining environmental sustainability in Pasir Putih Situngkir.