Organic Farming Ecotourism: Making Lubuk Bayas Village a Sustainable Educational Tourism Destination

Abstract

Lubuk Bayas Village is a village in Perbaungan District with a center for organic rice fields in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The village had been certified by the Seloliman Organic Certification Institute (LeSOS) in 2018. In addition to having sizeable organic paddy fields, this village has the potential to become a tourist village with natural beauty and agricultural products. However, there are several obstacles in developing organic rice fields, such as low buying interest, switching from organic to conventional rice fields, and the need for knowledge of tourism management. The aims of this study were 1) To determine the potential for rice field tourism by analyzing consumer attitudes toward organic product tourism, 2) To analyze intentions for organic tourism. We are finding and developing a tourism village development model based on organic agricultural commodities in Lubuk Bayas Village, Perbaungan District. Data were analyzed using LISREL and SWOT analysis. The results of this study indicated that tourism activities and community participation significantly affect consumer attitudes toward organic tourism. Attitudes affect interest in organic tourism in the future. The primary strategy for developing a tourist village is to highlight the primary agricultural commodities, such as organic paddy rice, with the support of Serdang Bedagai's natural and cultural tourist attractions