Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Marine Tourism Derawan Island, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan Province

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on various aspects of life today. The tourism sector is one of the sectors affected by COVID-19, especially by the policy of social restrictions and foreign tourist visits. Derawan Island is one of the leading tourist destinations in East Kalimantan which has been affected by the COVID-19 infectious disease. The purpose of this research is to find out the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine tourism on Derawan Island. The research was conducted in December 2020 – March 2021, using survey methods based on primary and secondary data. COVID-19 causes changes in habits, visit patterns, and the number of visits to Derawan Island marine tourism. The number of tourist visits decreased by 58% from the previous year, even as of December 2020, diving tourism actors are the parties most affected by COVID-19 due to the absence of diving tourists since the reopening of the leading tourist destination Derawan Island. The decline in tourist arrivals causes a decrease in income in the tourism sector, especially the income of tourism actors on Derawan Island.