The impact of multiethnic cultural tourism in an Indonesian former mining city

Abstract

ABSTRACT The inclusion of cultural features in a region's marketing to tourists is often seen as undermining the authenticity and sacred values of a culture; however, cultural tourism can have a constructive outcome by fostering cultural preservation. We examined the development of coal-mining heritage tourism in Sawahlunto, Indonesia, where the mining industry operated for more than a century before it ceased operations in 2001, threatening to push the city into extinction. Sawahlunto has been a distinctly multiethnic community ever since the mining industry attracted workers from various parts of Indonesia. Therefore, the development of mining heritage tourism in Sawahlunto has incorporated aspects of multiethnic cultural tourism, including the creation of various annual festivals. In the process, the cultural identity of local communities has been strengthened, and the common goal of sustaining the city has functioned as a means of social cohesion and integration. Thus, we show that commodification does not always erode the sacredness of a culture but can instead strengthen the cultural identity and social integration of local communities. In Sawahlunto, culture's dual roles—as part of the identity of local communities and as a unique attraction for tourists—have been intertwined, thereby influencing, complementing, and strengthening each other.