Institutional resilience of tourism villages against the Covid-19 pandemic in the Special Region of Yogyakarta

Abstract

This research aims to specifically assess the institutional resilience of tourism villages against the Covid-19 pandemic in four different tourist village categories. This research is qualitative in nature. The data collection was carried out through interviews with the head of the tourist villages, who played a crucial role during Covid-19 pandemic. Content analysis is used as an analytical technique in this study. The results of the study show that each category of tourist village displays varying degrees of institutional resilience when dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, the key factors distinguishing institutional resilience in each typology of tourist villages are primarily influenced by leadership and management, innovation, tourist visitor scale, local government support, and the determination of the community as actors in the tourism business. The existence of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted different action plans, scenarios, and policies in each tourist village. Furthermore, the pandemic encouraged tourism villages to innovate continuously such as by developing new tour packages, creating new attractions, revising tourist visit targets, enhancing product marketing systems, and fostering collaborations. The support and innovation from local governments also played a significant contribution in shaping the resilience of tourist villages. In conclusion, the Covid-19 pandemic has provided valuable lessons for tourism villages. The lessons include recognizing their potential and weaknesses, mapping resources for dealing with future disasters, optimizing the use of reserve funds, exploring new business opportunities, and developing the necessary mitigation efforts. These results have practical implications for the development policies of each category of tourist villages in the post Covid-19 pandemic era.