The attractiveness of a post-mining city as a tourist destination from the perspective of visitors: a study of Sawahlunto old coal mining town in Indonesia

Abstract

Mining has been a basis of development for industrial societies. A mining city was an engine of economic growth for a region by providing employment and gaining revenue from the mining industry. Nevertheless, in the post-mining period, a city such as this suffers from a lot of problems inherited from the mining era, ranging from economic incapability, social structure change, and environmental degradation. Transforming mining-heritage values for tourism applications has become a prevalent choice for many post-mining cities around the world. The attractiveness of mining-related resources is one of the determinants in the success of tourism development in these cities. This study measures the attractiveness of tourism resources within a smaller post-mining city from the perspective of the visitors. Twenty-two types of resources are identified and categorized into three groups: core resources, created resources, and supporting resources. Questionnaire surveys were distributed to 100 random visitors in Sawahlunto, an old coal mining city in Indonesia. Using a five-point Likert scale, these measured the levels of attractiveness respondents had for each resource. Study results reveal that natural beauty, mining heritage sites, museums, and architectural features are the most attractive resources found in a post-mining city by visitors. These resources become the primary motivation for their visit. It also confirms that visitors will likely arrange return trips in the future.