Sustainable Mangrove Ecotourism Performance in Aceh Jaya: Potential and Competitiveness Analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to analyse potential and competitiveness of sustainable mangroves in Aceh Jaya region as an alternative tourism destination. The ecotourism potential was identified from the existing onsite biodiversity, while the competitiveness level was investigated by distributing a questionnaire to 100 visitors asked about their perceptions of attraction, accessibility, ancillary services, amenities and activities regarding the mangrove site. A qualitative descriptive analysis was used to investigate the ecotourism potential and the competitiveness level was evaluated by scoring the competitiveness attributes on a 1- to 4-point scale where 1.00-1.74 (very low); 1.75-2.49 (low); 2.50–3.24 (high); and 3.25-4.00 (very high). The results on the biodiversity assessment showed that there are six species of mangrove vegetations were detected at this site, including Rhizopora mucronata, Rhizopora apiculata, Rhizopora stylosa, Bruguiera cylindrical, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, and Nypah fruticans. In this ecosystem, the existence of crocodiles in captivity and specific aquatic wildlife (i.e., Cerithidea sp.) was also observed. Regarding the competitiveness level, the highest performance score was the mangrove “attraction” (scored 3.29), followed by “amenities” (scored 3.06) and “ancillary services” (scored 2.99), whereas the others were scored with the lowest performance attributes. To increase competitiveness, it is necessary to improve transportation and public facilities at mangrove ecotourism location.