After the Lombok Riots, Is Sustainable Tourism Achievable?

Abstract

This paper commences with a discussion about aspects of security and safety in relation to tourism. It then looks specifically at the tourism situation for the island of Lombok, Indonesia, after three days of rioting and the subsequent media reporting combined to decimate tourism numbers. Incidents like this severely undermine any idea of sustainability in tourism development. Such incidents also bring into sharp focus the direct and indirect links between tourism and a wide range of social, political and economic issues at the local, national and global levels. It highlights the need for tourism to be integrated into broader social and economic activities. If there is greater involvement by the local community in tourism development, then the risk of violence in relation to tourism is reduced and the likelihood of sustainable development outcomes is enhanced.