Determinants of sustainable small islands tourism management: Case study of Pahawang Island, Indonesia

Abstract

High demand of tourism from those who look for new experiences has affected the development of new tourist destinations in various regions, including marine tourism and the small islands. Furthermore on the small islands, they offer high biodiversity, biophysical uniqueness, as well as the local wisdom and cultural distinctiveness of the community, which can be potential drivers of tourism development. In contrast, the potential of these small islands is still not optimally utilized to promote the welfare of the villagers and to attract the tourist to visit. This research was conducted by collecting primary data derived from observations, in-depth interviews with tourism stakeholders, as well as tourist perceptions in Pahawang Island Village, Lampung Province, Indonesia. The result showed that the high weight value of variable tourist attraction (3,795), low prices (3,733), and tourism Image (3,730) show no direct impact on improving community welfare in Pahawang Island Village. On the contrary, the benefits of Pahawang Island tourism significantly affect the residents of other village communities in Ketapang Port, Lampung. The low variable value of Pahawang Island tourism Amenities (2,904), such as the availability of telecommunications networks, banking services, health facilities and electricity networks. Therefore, it is concluded that the improvement of tourism amenities are suggested to enhance the benefits of tourism towards the Pahawang Island villagers.