LOCAL PERSPECTIVE OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN LAKE TOBA AS A TOURISM DESTINATION

Abstract

Purpose of the study: The empowerment of local communities is currently an interesting issue in tourism development. This study aims to examine the forms of involvement of local communities in Lake Toba and to analyze their level of participation. This research begins by identifying the tourism potential of Lake Toba through the attribute theory of tourist destinations (attraction, accessibility, amenities, accommodation, and ancillary service). Methodology: Multi-method approaches are used to examine this phenomenon. The qualitative method is conducted by non-participant observation in research locations to see the locals’ behavior in Lake Toba in terms of the acceptance of tourism activities. The quantitative method is conducted by distributing questionnaires with 90 randomly chosen respondents (local communities) regarding their perspective toward their participation in tourism development. The collected data will be processed and combined and will also be studied using Arnstein’s model as the main measuring instrument in discussing the level of local community participation in the destination. Main Findings: The result of this research is that Lake Toba has the potential to attribute tourist destinations on the 5A system. In terms of the level of local community participation, the community response to its involvement in tourism-destination attributes in Lake Toba can be categorized in the “partnership” phase. Applications of this study: The results of this study may be used as evaluation material regarding the local communities’ participation in Lake Toba on tourism destination development. The findings of this study may also be a reference for community-based tourism development in other destinations, to be oriented towards the effectiveness of active participation of local communities. The originality of the study: The paper is original, and this is the first study to examine the level of local communities’ participation in Lake Toba.