Visual landscape analysis of coastal tourism potential in Geopark Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu Indonesia

Abstract

The coastal area is one of the strategic resources, since it is a transitional area between the ocean and land ecosystem. As a region having high potential of natural resources and environmental services, a variety of interests rests on it, so that many parties are interested in managing and regulating its use, one of which is as an area which attracts tourists. At present, Indonesia has the UNESCO Global Geopark in Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu. The area has potential which must be utilized properly for the welfare of the community. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the feasibility of the land which would potentially be developed. This study aims to (1) analyze the land suitability in terms of tourism; (2) assess the scenery of the coastal tourism landscape in the area of Geopark Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu. The method used was the Geographic Information System (GIS) method using survey technique. The GIS method has two main functions: the ability to identify data (query) and analysis. Data query can connect between spatial data and attribute data. The query function on spatial data is in terms of data/location search and overlay of several maps. The approach in assessing the aesthetic quality of the landscape used the SBE (Scenic Beauty Estimation) method. The result showed that there were 12 objects found in Ciemas Subdistrict which consisted of attraction points, waterfall, and beach. Based on the SBE assessment, each category, namely low, medium and high, had the same number of objects, namely 4 objects. The result of the assessment of the beauty index of the landscape was expected to be a consideration in the development of new tourism objects in the area of UNESCO Global Geopark Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu.