A Tourism Concept Where Culture, Local Traditions, and Nature Are Conserved

Tourism as an industry has had a massive influence on the economy, socio-culture, and environment. This can be proven by the economic growth a country would get if tourism ran smoothly; in Bali for example, the GDP last year (2023) reached 5,71 percent which was the highest in Indonesia and it was even beyond Indonesia’s GDP which was 5,05(PUTRA, 2024). This achievement is evidence that tourism activity has a massive influence on the economy.

Meanwhile, it also has a flipside where it becomes a threat to tourism especially when it is not well organised due to the massive number of tourists that would come and visit a destination. For example, In the tourist village of Sasak Ende, Lombok there has been a shift in the local traditions as the youngsters now prefer to wear pants instead of a sarong.
Whereas, to Ende’s people sarong is an identity and has its traditional value of their culture and traditions (Surahman et al., 2020).
Another good example is Bali which has been popular to tourists around the world known for its nature and cultural value that is now has been eroded slightly by the mass tourism concept (Lidwina, n.d.).

Hence, a new concept of tourism must be introduced and implemented in Indonesia before it loses its worth. There is this one concept that would suit Indonesia the most which is Community-Based Tourism also known as CBT. This concept offers an approach where all the tourism activities in a tourist destination or tourist village are managed, organised, and run by the local community (ASEAN CBT Standard, 2016) meaning it benefits the entire local community. Moreover, CBT is intended to give an authentic experience of a local community’s heritage, culture as well as traditions practices, and natural resources.

CBT itself offers a range of benefits to the social, environmental, and economic such as skills training, opportunities for community infrastructure (electricity, road, sanitation, water), and health benefits (water and waste management education). Also, it promotes a more equitable community structure and the association with foreign travelers helps raise confidence and pride among the people. Environmentally, CBT provides conservation of the environment, awareness, and wildlife protection and in terms of economy, CBT provides employment opportunities, generates revenue, and goods and services that are provided locally which will linked to a more sustainable approach (also a positive environmental benefit) (Community-Based Tourism | Intrepid Travel, n.d.).

References

• PUTRA, C. Y. M. (2024, February 5). Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Bali 2023 Kembali Lampaui Nasional. kompas.id. https://www.kompas.id/baca/nusantara/2024/02/05/pertumbuhan-ekonomi-bali-2023-kembali-lampaui-nasional
• Surahman, T., Sudiarta, I. N., & Suwena, I. K. (2020). DAMPAK PENGEMBANGAN PARIWISATA TERHADAP EKONOMI DAN SOSIAL BUDAYA MASYARAKAT LOKAL DESA WISATA SASAK ENDE, LOMBOK. 20(1).
• Lidwina, A. W. Y., Andrea. (n.d.). Bali Menuai Dampak Buruk Pariwisata Massal Halaman 2—Analisis Data Katadata. Retrieved March 22, 2024, from https://katadata.co.id/analisisdata/643e678adf4bb/bali-menuai-dampak-buruk-pariwisata-massal?page=2?page=2
• https://www.asean.or/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ASEAN-Community-Based-Tourism-Standard.pdf
• Community-based tourism | Intrepid Travel. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2024, from https://www.intrepidtravel.com/en/community-based-tourism

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