Socio-economic mapping for community empowerment in Mandalika special economic zone, Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract

The community’s welfare is anticipated to increase with development in highly prioritized regions of the country’s tourism industry. Studies, however, indicate that this is not always the case. If the process of social engineering is not taken seriously, even poverty will continue to cast a shadow over the neighborhood. What about the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which has been designated as a new area for economic growth and has had expensive tourism amenities constructed? This study aims to map the social and economic state of the neighborhood surrounding the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This study employed mixed methods, which combine quantitative and qualitative techniques. Maps representing the community’s social and economic situations are produced quantitatively. A qualitative approach uses a participative procedure to create a community empowerment model. The study’s findings are: (1) The community’s social and economic situations are underwhelming. Public health infrastructure, such as drinking water facilities, sanitization, and waste disposal, is still subpar. People in SEZ Mandalika still have modest incomes, and many are even considered impoverished. (2) The community’s human, ecological, and cultural resources contribute to its potential. Numerous forms of tourism infrastructure have been constructed. (3) There are five components to the suggested community empowerment model: the government, academia, community, media, and business actors (Penta helix).