Understanding the experience of ethnic tourism from the needs of domestic and international tourists: A case study of Sade Rembitan, Indonesia

Abstract

The case study of this research is Sade Rembitan, one of the only two ethnic villages on Lombok still inhabited by its original people, and which has been increasingly promoted as a tourist attraction and instrument to improve welfare for ethnic communities. Since different tourist groups may differ in the experience they seek in an ethnic tourism destination, it is important for a destination to understand how tourists are likely to respond to their products and to contribute to a profitable and successful attraction. The goal of this research is to investigate how to offer a more successful ethnic tourist experience to both domestic and international tourists, in the context of a fast-growing tourism destination. The research is based on the concept of ethnic tourism and its elements. By using desk research, observations, unstructured interviews, questionnaires, photography and semi-structured interviews, the research has been divided into three phases: the context and problem statement, the measurement of the tourist experience and differences between nationalities and finally the deeper understanding of the difference in tourist experience. The analysis reveals that the tourist experience in Sade Rembitan indeed differs for the domestic and international tourist. Indonesian tourists rate the overall tourist experience higher than international tourists. The gap seems to arise from the missing element of the experience of activities, which is seen as a crucial element in an ethnic tourism experience. For the international tourist, there is a need for more interaction, a mediator between the visitor and local community and to become part of the real lifestyle; something that is currently missing in Sade Rembitan.