SITE SUITABILITY EVALUATION FOR ECOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY IN BULUE VILLAGE, SOPPENG DISTRICT, INDONESIA

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of the landscape of Bulue Village in Soppeng District, Indonesia, showing that site suitability evaluation was an important step in the process of ecotourism development planning of protected area which accommodated the landscape characteristics. Spatial multicriteria decision analysis combined with descriptive analysis was utilized as a methodology in this study. The results of the analysis showed that the landscape had (1) highly suitable 1.33%; (2) moderately suitable 16.94%; (3) marginally suitable 73.21%, and (4) not suitable 8.51% for ecotourism. Moreover, there were livelihood-based and nature-based tourism attraction potential and tourism market opportunities. However, there were the resistance factors that need to be overcome, particularly in preventing further forest degradation, improving access to tourism attractions, and empowering the community. This paper points out the importance of evaluating and mapping of landscape characteristics in the process of ecotourism development planning of Bulue Village to ensure sustainable use of landscape.