SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AS A STRATEGIC RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY CASE IN INDONESIA
Ibnu Sasongko, Vidya Trisandini Azizi

Urban and Regional Planning Department, Faculty of Civil Enginering and Urban Planning, National Institute of Technology (ITN), Malang. Indonesia

Urban and Regional Planning Department, Universitas Agung Podomoro, Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

General rural areas in Indonesia acts as primary producers in economics and has less competitive economic drives compares to their urban counterpart, which are followed by underdevelopment and thus leading to rapid rate of urbanization. This phenomenon is among the leading cause of widening rural-urban gap in Indonesia. Therefore, it is important to develop rural potential to bridge the economic gap and promote equity in development. Efforts to promote equity development in rural areas had been done, among them are the development of rural tourism, thus increasing job opportunities and improving overall economic condition. While rural have a lot of potentials for tourism, agritourism presents the best chance for rural to sustainably move forward as it reasonably would be able to fulfill environmental, economic, and social wellbeing when properly implemented. This research aims to develop the concept of tourist rural that utilizes local culture and resources while prioritizes sustainable development in Pujon Kidul, Malang Regency, Indonesia. Qualitative descriptive methods were used in this study, land suitability analysis with Visual Absorption Capability (VAC) approach, community attitude analysis with Irridex, linkage system and integrated system. Proper rural tourism management that takes into account environmental, social, and economic aspects prevent overt exploitation of available resources and thus promoting sustainable development in rural context.

Keywords: Rural tourism, VAC, Sustainable Development

Topic: Sustainable Rural and Urban Development