SPIRITUAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AT TARO TOURISM VILLAGE, GIANYAR, BALI

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze tourism potential and develop it into a spiritual tourist attraction managed as nature-based tourism; otherwise, the wisdom values of local communities are under threat. The site of this study was Taro Tourism Village, Gianyar Regency, Bali Province, Indonesia. The research method was a descriptive qualitative approach, using data from observation, literature studies, interviews, and focus group discussions, followed by SWOT and AHP analysis. The findings in this study include strategic steps in developing spiritual tourism in research locations, namely: the need to capture local wisdom, the creation of public investment regulations for foreigners, the need for cooperation between tourism stakeholders, the increase in human resources in the tourism sector, and the need for global marketing that involves an international network. This paper is novel because it seeks to contribute to maintaining the sustainability of Bali tourism, which is experiencing an economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and maintaining the sustainability of local wisdom amidst the issue of globalization. The novelty also consists of large-scale studies abstracted by authors theoretically that using local wisdom as a spiritual tourist attraction can maintain the continuity’s sociocultural life and improve its economy. Keywords: Development Strategy, Local Wisdom, Spiritual Tourism, Taro Tourism Village DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.1.76