The Role of Religious Belief in Sustainable Community-Based Tourism During Postdisaster Recovery

Abstract

There is a widely held view that religious beliefs are irrelevant during recovery postdisaster. Such recovery is often associated with an attitude of traumatic victimhood focusing on rebuilding infrastructure. However, the role and involvement of local people needs to be considered when reconstructing damaged facilities in destinations that need new sources of sustainable livelihood. The current study addresses this issue by examining religious beliefs in disaster recovery sites from the perspective of processes, factors, and implications. Three disaster zones in Yogyakarta, Indonesia are investigated, deploying an extended case study approach. The findings indicate that religious beliefs had the strongest and most significant influence on sustainable community-based tourism through the recovery process. The research procedure was applied in three tourist villages: the bamboo garden market, the disaster museum, and dome houses. Disaster victims are affected by religious beliefs and local wisdom and are supported by local heroes who encourage them to pursue new income sources. This generates employment through roles in managed tourist villages, such as tour guide, parking guard, travel agent, and tourism entrepreneur. The research highlights the role of religious belief as a mechanism for postdisaster recovery and draws upon natural prevention in contributing to gaps in discourse about ecological law.