Transformation of a Coal Mining City into a Cultured Mining Heritage Tourism City in Sawahlunto, Indonesia: A Response to the Threat of Becoming a Ghost Town

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study discusses the transformation of Sawahlunto, Indonesia from a coal mining city into a cultured mining heritage tourism city as an effort to overcome the threat of becoming a “ghost town” following the demise of the coal mining industry. Interestingly, in less than 15 years, Sawahlunto was able to rise from this adversity by altering the city’s vision to become a cultured mining heritage tourism city. This success is inseparable from the stakeholders’ creativity as agents of change; they reutilized mining heritage resources as attractive tourism destinations. The agents’ ability to respond to the challenges facing this post-mining city was the main factor driving the city’s transformation and helping it escape from the threat of becoming a ghost town. Today, Sawahlunto has grown into a highly-valued cultured mining tourism city in Indonesia.