Tourists perception toward public open space's physical elements (case study: Cermin beach)

Abstract

A well-designed public open space in the countryside attract tourists more than usual ones. As a tourism destination, public open space is not just for the recreational purpose, but also could support the local economy. Serdang Bedagai district has lots of nature-based tourism potential, such as a shoreline or beach tourism. Physical elements in this public open space as a tourism destination could attract tourists and affect tourists perception and loyalties. One of tourism destination which managed by local government and empowering locals is Cermin beach. This destination has public open space which has the possibility for social interaction. However, its physical elements tend to left behind compared to another similar tourism nearby. The aim of this study is to identify the quality of physical elements in public open space as a tourism destination based on tourism perception. This research used descriptive analysis with a qualitative method by observed site and a quantitative method by distributed questionnaire. The result indicates that Cermin beach developer is less aware of physical elements in this public open space, both physical carrying capacity and the hygiene throughly.