EXPLORING DISTINCTIVENESS IN RELIGIOUS TOURISM THROUGH LANDMARK: A STUDY OF PLACE IDENTITY IN LANGKAT, NORTH SUMATERA

Abstract

A place can be easily recognized by the presence of distinctive landmarks. The image of a place can be seen in the presence of landmarks. Religious tourism destinations can become landmarks if there are peculiarities in the destination, especially having unique religious buildings, attractive visuals, easy to see, easy to identify, contrasting with the environment, and easy to access by tourists. This study aims to examine these four landmark elements in religious tourism in the Langkat regency. This study aims to examine four elements of landmarks in religious tourism in the Langkat Regency. This research uses mixed- methods by conducting observations to collect qualitative data and conducting interviews and distributing questionnaires to collect quantitative data. The results showed that religious tourism as a landmark that is easy to see, easy to identify, contrasts with the environment, and easy to reach in Langkat Regency can give a good impression to the local community.