Apprehending Land Value Through Tourism in Indonesia: Commodification of Rural Landscapes Through Geoparks

Abstract

This article will examine rent gap production and negotiations through the establishment of two UNESCO Geoparks for tourism in Indonesia. The commodification of different geological landscapes was analysed through processes of rural gentrification as ‘build-to-let’ homestays and villas emerged under the auspices of local-regional governance brokering private sector interests under the aegis of post-reformation Indonesian decentralization politics. The consequent rent-gap brings about negotiated displacements that varies between actors, but form a crucial component in unravelling the process of rent-gap creation. Based on 32 interviews with a range of stakeholders in Gunungsewu and Ciletuh UNESCO Geoparks, we show how finances and local-regional governance power mesh in the production of these tourism destinations against state power. This production of tourism destinations signifies locally specific governance as the determining factors in rent gap production. This paper unmasks the powers at play opening rent gaps in commodifying landscape intertwining with national political regime.