SIMULTANEOUS ANALYSIS OF THE FEASIBILITY AND PRIORITY OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN TANAH LAUT REGENCY, INDONESIA

Abstract

Ecotourism is vital in reducing negative environmental impacts and helping sustainable development. Developing ecotourism destinations require comprehensive studies, including the feasibility and priority of the tourist attractions. Many studies concentrate on ecotourism development; however, only a few reports deal with feasibility and priority, particularly biodiversity. Tanah Laut, a regency in the southeast part of Borneo Island, has excellent ecotourism potential. This study aims to assess the feasibility and priority of seven ecotourism attractions through simultaneous methods consisting of the Analysis of Natural Tourist Attractions (ANTA) and the Exponential Comparison Method (ECM) for their feasibility and priority, consecutively. Ten criteria were involved in the ECM analysis: natural and environment, human resources, market potential, transportation and communication, infrastructure, institutional support, security, tourism support, social and culture and physical condition. The ANTA analysis showed that the seven ecotourism attractions in Tanah Laut Regency satisfy the minimum feasibility criteria to be developed as ecotourism objects. Furthermore, Mount Birah was elected the most priority due to its natural, human resources and market potential. This study suggests that simultaneous methods of ANTA and ECM could be used as adequate tools in a decision-support system for ecotourism development.