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Sustainable tourism development at Gelung Beach, Situbondo
Thesis Abstract:
Gelung Beach is a tourist area, which has not yet been intensively managed in Situbondo. Many of the trees were uprooted as a result of erosion caused by sea waves. Some tourism activities also cause disruption and damage to the area’s ecosystem. Therefore, concept of tourism area management that could improve the quality of natural resources based on its function and benefit, is needed. Sustainable tourism development is a concept that capitalizes natural resources and the environment for tourism activities, while preserving these for the benefit of the present and the future.
Data collection was carried through literature review, interviews, and field observations. The data collected included the area’s tourism potential, its visitors, and the management of Gelung Beach. The tourism potential data consisted of physical, biological, and sociocultural aspects. Furthermore, tourism suitability analysis that aimed to analyze the suitability and ability of the region to support all kinds of tourism activities was conducted. The visitors in this study consisted of actual and potential visitors. Visitor data collection related to the tourism development of Gelung Beach was carried out by conducting in-depth interviews to the relevant institutions.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis showed that Gelung Beach area had several strengths—its coastal ecosystems, social culture, cultivation, and ease of access. The weaknesses were the community’s illegal coral reefs retrieval; decreased environmental cleanliness caused by the visitors’ activities and stalls around the beach; the community’s perception on tourism development (i.e., bringing as many tourists as possible); community participation in tourism activities, which were only income-oriented; and the abandonment of local art. Gelung Beach area’s opportunities include its potential for tourism development, which provide employment and business opportunities; and the perception of potential visitors about the tourism development, who are more concerned with the environment. The development of tourism in Gelung Beach area is, however, threatened by the high demand of coral reefs as ornaments and souvenirs, the lack of government support for tourism development, the less concerned government policy for preservation of natural resources, and the replacement of local culture and art by modern art.
Several factors needed to be considered in the development of sustainable tourism in Gelung Beach are: (1) reparation and arrangement of environment; (2) utilization of natural resources in a sustainable manner; (3) sociocultural society; (4) integration of sustainable tourism in local, national, and regional planning; and (5) support for the local economy.
Programs in tourism activities at Gelung Beach are also directed at environmental quality improvement efforts. Some of the tourism programs that can be done in the area of Gelung Beach include planting of coral reefs (Be Fun-Be Smart-Be Blue), Petik Laut Tourism, Puppet Mask Exhibition, Coastal Clean-up Festival, Black Sand Tourism, Cultivation Tourism, and environment-friendly souvenirs.