STRATEGY FOR ICM-BASED GEOTOURISM DEVELOPMENT: CASE STUDY OF THE OLELE MARINE PROTECTED AREA, INDONESIA

Abstract

This research aims to develop a strategy for developing the Olele Marine Park area as a geotourism destination based on the principles of integrated coastal management (ICM). The analytical descriptive method was applied, and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used as an analytical tool. This study found that education and elevating awareness levels are the main priority criteria that need to be evolved in determining alternative developments for the Olele Marine Park Area (OMPA). Furthermore, the AHP results are consistent across all criteria for determining the priority of the OMPA development model. The AHP conducted on ten criteria CRT01-CRT10 also illustrates that the development of the governance model (ALT4) is a top priority in the OMPA development. The ecology model (ALT3) can also be used as a secondary priority model with values that are not significantly different. The research findings are expected to provide priority recommendations that can be implemented by various relevant stakeholders, including local governments, industry, and local communities. Some proposed alternative models are also expected to be considered in designing a strategy for developing the OMPA as geotourism. The AHP method was used as the sole analysis method in this study, which is a limitation. As a result, additional research is expected to be able to more comprehensively adapt various analytical approaches. One of the research’s novelties is that it provides the first comprehensive study of the ICM strategy-based OMPA development strategy.