Evaluating the Sustainability of Local-Based Ecotourism in Tulungagung

Abstract

Rural areas have various kinds of tourism potential. Unfortunately, the lack of knowledge of tourism managers about sustainable tourism often makes tourism in rural areas intersect with aspects of sustainability. The concept of Ecotourism is one solution to resolve the conflict between the two. However, an Ecotourism Site in a village can cause inequality in one of its dimensions if it is not managed properly and carefully. This study aims to examine the three dimensions of Mbalong Kawuk ecotourism sustainability in Tulungagung. The method of assessing the sustainability status of Mbalong Kawuk ecotourism used in this study is the modified Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) model of RAPFISH (Rapid Appraisal for Fisheries). The dimensions of sustainability assessed in this study are the Ecological Dimension, the Economic Dimension, and the Human Resource Dimension. Furthermore, leverage analysis is carried out to determine the sensitive attributes that contribute to determining and assessing the sustainability of a dimension. The results of the analysis show that the ecological dimension, having a percentage level of sustainability of 54.46%, the economic dimension (62.39%), and the human resource dimension (64.55%) in Mbalong Kawuk Ecotourism are categorized as a quite sustainablea.