Critical Factors for Increasing Tourism Competitiveness: Analysis of Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index in Sumedang Regency

Abstract

The disruption of the tourism sector needs to be measured to increase tourism competitiveness. This study aims to map tourism competitiveness with the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) pillar after the Covid-19 pandemic. Of the 14 pillars of TTCI released by the World Economic Forum, only eight pillars with 56 indicators are used that are relevant to the condition and availability of data at the village level. This research uses a mixed method with a sequential explanatory design approach. The data uses village potential data from the Central Statistics Agency in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The analysis unit consists of 270 villages and seven sub-districts in Sumedang Regency. The results of a composite assessment of all TTCI indicators and pillars show a striking difference in the environmental sustainability pillar, which has increased very highly compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of the TTCI scoring have mapped aspects of potential, advantages, and weaknesses in terms of eight pillars of tourism competitiveness at the village, subdistrict, and district levels. This study presents actual data on the potential of villages to increase tourism competitiveness using TTCI parameters. It can be a reference for stakeholders to improve areas that are priorities for tourism development, especially facing the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The declining pillar of human resources during the pandemic requires the attention of stakeholders, especially in developing tourism priority areas.