Empowerment of Rural Community through the Development of
Village Tourism
Encang Saepudin, Pawit M. Yusup and Agus Rusmana
Prodi Ilmu Perpustakaan, Fakultas Ilmu Komunikasi, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Tourism, Community, Empowerment.
Abstract: The development of community based tourism is a strategic effort in building the community. Rural tourism
development is a long-term and potential investment for society and government. This study will examine the
"empowerment of the village community through a village tourism development program". The purpose of
this research is to find out the strategy of empowering rural community in developing tourist village through
the stage of awareness, organizing, and resource delivery. This result of the research can be used to convince
the government how important the role and participation are for the community toward tourism village
development program as factors in achieving the program objectives. This research uses qualitative approach
with10 informants purposively selected. The results showed that the awareness process was conducted
through an open discussion process between community leaders, religious leaders, youth, and the government
officers. The organizing process is carried out by empowering existing organs with strengthening through
organizational coaching. Delivery of resources is done by the provision of physical resources and human
resources.
1 INTRODUCTION
West Bandung regency is a relatively new regency in
Jawa Barat Province. It has been developing many
supporting sectors of empowerment for its
community. One of them is tourism. This sector is
chosen because tourism is a promising sector that can
conducted by the local potential natural environment.
This idea of putting the tourism as a supporting factor
is in-line with the program of UNESCO on tourism
that stated in its report:
As one of the fastest growing and most profitable
industries in the world, tourism can provide limitless
opportunities for economic development, particularly
in developing countries. It can generate income and
employment effectively through the development of
natural and cultural resources. It also provides local
communities with the opportunity to express pride in
their own culture, thus giving the impetus to revive
threatened traditions and cultural practices. Tourism
enables interaction between individuals of different
nationalities and backgrounds, thus fostering
dialogue among culture (Hoi An Centre for
Monuments Managements and Preservation, 2008).
West Bandung regency has the very extraordinary
potential of natural tourism. In some areas have been
developed into tourism villages. In the year 2014
West Bandung Regency Government set five villages
into a tourist village. The five tourist villages are
Suntenjaya in Kecamatan Lembang, Rende
(Cikalongwetan), Sirnajaya (Gununghalu),
Mukapayung (Cililin), and Cihanjuang Rahayu
(Parongpong). Tourism plays an extremely important
role in the economic and social development of most
countries in the word. It is the largest generator of
employment and its services range from travel,
accommodation, catering and maintenance of culture
and traditions especially the handicraft industry and
to preservation of eco-system. (Zaei and Mahin,
2013). Besides providing visitors rewarding
experiences, sustainable ecotourism became an
instrument in natural resource conservation such as
water use. The village tourism brought benefits and
income to most local residents with tourism
involvement.” (Tungchawal, 2001).
West Bandung Regency area is a fertile
agricultural area with beautiful natural scenery.
Geographical conditions in the region are hilly with
varying heights and slopes. This area has the lowest
422
Saepudin, E., Yusup, P. and Rusmana, A.
Empowerment of Rural Community through the Development of Village Tourism.
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education (ICSE 2017) - Volume 1, pages 422-426
ISBN: 978-989-758-316-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

altitude at 125 m below sea level and the highest
ground at an altitude of 2150 m above sea level. The
hilly areas of West Bandung Regency are based on
agricultural and livestock activities. Some hilly areas
such as Lembang become the mainstay of tourism in
this district. Meanwhile, in the central region or in a
relatively flat area (around the area of Padalarang
City) developed industrial and urban areas. This
environment is very attractive, yet also vulnerable if
exploited uncontrolled by government which can lead
to a great loss for the people who live in and around
the area. Uncontrolled conventional tourism poses
potential threats to many natural areas around the
world. It can put enormous pressure on an area and
lead to impacts such as soil erosion, increased
pollution, discharges into the sea, natural habitat loss,
increased pressure on endangered species and
heightened vulnerability to forest fires (Sunlu, 2003).
In addition to the potential of agro-based areas of
agriculture, plantation, forestry, animal husbandry
and fishery, West Bandung Regency has some
potential in the field of tourism, both natural tourism,
special interest tours, and other types of tourism.
KBB tourist areas are divided into 3 major tourist
zones namely North Bandung Zone, South Bandung,
and West Bandung. Kecamatan Lembang is a
subdistrict that has the most natural attractions
compared with other districts. There are several
attractions that are managed by the government and
some are managed by other parties. Tourism is one of
the key development of West Bandung Regency if it
refers to the existing Vision. Therefore, its
development becomes a very important thing. Based
on its characteristics, tourist objects can be grouped
into objects of Agro Tourism, Nature Tourism, and
Special Interest Tours. If these agro tourism are well-
managed, they will have the benefit of increasing
environmental conservation, enhancing aesthetic and
natural beauty values, providing recreational value,
enhancing scientific activities and developing
science, and developing the economy of the
community. As an example of the value of benefits in
improving the conservation of the environment is
embedded conservation values which are emphasized
on the balance of ecosystems and capacity of
environmental carrying capacity in the soul of the
community. This can encourage everyone to always
take into account the future and sustainable
development.
At the international level, destinations often
compete on nothing more than the image held in the
minds of potential travellers. Therefore, marketers of
tourist destinations spend money, time and effort to
create the right favourable image to guide prospective
travellers in their decision to visit or re-visit their
destinations. In the internationally competitive
environment of today’s tourism industry, marketers
and developers of destinations should have a good
understanding of travellers’ image of their destination
(Thorhallur, 2012).
The combination of natural beauty, rural
livelihood, and agricultural potential, when properly
laid out and handled seriously can develop a tourist
attraction for one region. So that region can become a
new tourist destination that offers nature beauty and
education. In addition, with the development of agro
tourism in one area tourist destinations will provide
benefits for the increase in incomes of society and
government. In other words, the function of tourism
can be done with the agricultural cultivation, rural
settlement, and conservation functions.
Agro-tourism development in addition to
functioning as an enhancement of environmental
conservation, also serves as the economic
development of the community. Community
economic development is a form of community
empowerment. Community empowerment is an
important aspect in developing tourism village. This
is because the development of tourist villages utilizes
many resources owned by the community. The
community has an important role to support the
successful development of tourist villages.
Community empowerment in tourism village
development by Tourism Village managers is applied
in the areas of attraction, accommodation, and
preparation of human resources. The three
components are a) meetings, b) mentoring, c) capital
assistance, d) construction of facilities and
infrastructure, e) establishment of village tourism
organizations, f) consecration, g) marketing. The
empowerment activities are expected to give socio-
cultural, economic impact to the people of Desa
Wisata (village tourism). The purpose of the research
is to find out the community awareness about their
potential to become a tourism village and to
understand the role of the local leaders and the
government in building the awareness and drive them
to develop the tourism village. According to Jafari in
his report entitled “The Role of Empowering Village
Managers in Tourism Industry: A Case Study of
Bojnord Villages,” which said that:
The rural manager should take the understanding
of local development, innovations, pluralism and
participation into accountant should be capable of
understanding and analyzing the social, economic and
environmental problems of the village (Jafari, 2013).
The findings of the research will be used as starting
points to improve the management of tourism villages
Empowerment of Rural Community through the Development of Village Tourism
423

especially by the local community supported by the
government.
2 METHODS
This research uses qualitative approach. The
qualitative approach focuses its study on subjective
meanings, metaphors, symbols, and descriptions of a
specific case to be examined. This approach was
chosen so that this study acquired a detailed and
profound picture of a particular social
phenomenological phenomenon. Based on the
objectives, this research is included in the category of
descriptive research that is, a research that attempts to
describe the specific details of situations, settings or
social relationships that take place within the scope of
research subjects. Informants in this research are
government officers, society members, and the
managers of village tourism in the village of Cibodas
Regency of West Bandung amount 10 person.
Techniques of data collection are observation,
interview, Focus Group Discussion, and literature
studies. Technical analysis of data used is descriptive
data analysis with steps of data reduction, data
presentation, and conclusion. Validity and reliability
test is done through a process of data triangulation
and triangulation of sources.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Community empowerment is often the first chosen
alternative in a development approach involving
community participation. In the development of
tourism, community empowerment is seen as one of
the most effective approaches in stimulating the
active participation of all stakeholders, particularly
local people.
The importance of community empowerment in
development is underlined by Murphy (1988), who
views that the development of tourism activities is
community-based activity. This community-based
activity is the resources and uniqueness of local
communities in the form of physical and non-physical
elements (tradition and culture). The uniqueness
attached to the community is the main driving force
of tourism activity itself; On the other hand, a local
community that grows and lives side by side with a
tourist object cannot be denied has actually become
part of a related ecological system. Therefore,
community empowerment is an approach that is
currently considered as very strategic in improving
people's welfare. More sustainable results will be
achieved if communities are given the confidence to
determine the development process needed by
themselves. People can analyze existing problems
and opportunities and find solutions to their own
resources. The community itself makes the decisions
and plans, implements and evaluates the effectiveness
of the activities undertaken. The role of government
and other agencies is limited to support and facilitate.
The process of community empowerment in the
development of tourist village should pay attention to
the principles of Enabling, Empowering, and
Protecting. Enabling is to create an atmosphere or
climate that allows the potential of developing
societies; Empowering is to strengthen the potential
or power owned by the community; And Protecting
to prevent unfair competition, and the strong
exploitation of the weak. These principles should be
the basis for developing tourist villages. This review
of the objective of community empowerment in the
development of a tourist village is to facilitate the
community to be able to analyze their livelihoods and
problems, and to seek solutions based on their
abilities and limitations. In addition, the
empowerment of society is expected to stimulate to
develop their own business with all the capabilities
and resources owned. Benefits that can be felt from
the tourism village community empowerment
program are (a) Continuous long-term welfare
improvement; (B) Increasing income and improving
livelihoods of community groups; (C) Increasing the
use of available resources effectively and efficiently;
(D) A more democratic development process.
In the context of local community empowerment
in tourism development, it is further asserted that the
aspects of community involvement can be
implemented in three areas, namely planning stage,
implementation stage or implementation, and in terms
of beneficiary benefits. (Rorah, (2012) In terms of
benefits, especially economic and socio-cultural,
community empowerment in tourism village
development can be done through awareness,
organizing and resource delivery strategies.
3.1 Awareness Process
Community empowerment in Cibodas Village should
be done with a mission to support the development of
local potency-based tourist village with emphasis on
home industries, agricultures and livestock industries.
The empowerment process should be based on the
potential of most people. Therefore, the first step that
needs to be done is to provide an understanding of the
importance of this village tourism development
program in supporting the family economy by
instilling a critical awareness of its potential. Both the
potential of nature, economy, and human resources.
The form of awareness that has been done is to invite
ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education
424

the community to attend the meetings initiated by the
program implementers at the local level with the
support of various community’s element including
the district and district level of government. This
awareness program is followed by counselling and
training or short courses that will enhance their skills
in developing a tourist village. In addition, in the
training provided, also presented material on the
management of a good business, accompanied by a
feasibility study that will increase public confidence.
Thus, the community will be more aware and
convinced that the development of village tourism
village will help the economic development of
families and communities, yet should be treated
carefully so this program will not threat the
environment. Tourist destinations are not infinite and
timeless and should be viewed and treated as finite
and possibly non-renewable resources. The life cycle
concepts as an aid to understand the evolution of
tourist destinations, and provide guidance for
strategic decisions as well as a forecasting tool
(Ahmed, 2015).
The process of awareness is closely related to the
process of community motivation in understanding
the potential of themselves and the environment.
Motivating the community is a very important factor
in building community self-reliance. Motivation
process can be done by societies, public figures,
government officers, as well as outsiders (NGOs,
Colleges, Companies.) who have a competency in the
development of tourist villages. This will increase
public confidence in improving his business to
support the development of tourist villages.
This process of awareness and motivation should
examine the problems faced by the village tourism
developer community, so the settlement is really
appropriate to the conditions and potential that exist
in themselves and their environment. Basically, the
awareness process that will be done has the potential
to succeed. This can be seen from the high level of
community participation in every meeting conducted
by village tourism managers and village government
officers.
The community presence in this awareness
activity will be the benchmark of program success.
This is a form of people's desire to develop
themselves and their environment. This is in line with
Ohama's (2001) opinion which reveals that in key
concepts of participatory approaches, the process of
awareness, clarification of the issues, and the specific
needs of everyday life are essential. The hope of this
awareness process is the recognition of the pattern of
the old society that constructed poverty and the birth
of a vision for the realization of a society that reduces
poverty.
3.2 Organizing
Organization is a place for people to convey their
aspirations and conduct activities for capacity
development. Organization is one element of
development that has an important position in the
context of empowerment. Without the organization,
community empowerment will not be managed and
utilized properly. The organization has the role of an
actor to change or adjust the balance relationship
between the three elements when dealing with a new
condition or situation. The organization that has been
built in the village tourism development program is
the Independent Agricultural and Rural Training
Center (P4S) Mekar Tani Jaya. Through this group,
the community conducts activities in improving skills
and skills in farming, farming, trading, and others.
This farmer group is formed by members of the
community who have the skills, abilities, and interests
in a particular field. This business group is better
because it is formed on the initiative of the
community and driven by the needs of the
community. In other words, groups are formed by and
for society. In the next stage, a new business group
was created which has never existed before, with the
division of each Local Community. Organizational
structure is formed in accordance with the wishes of
members. In this new group, there are rules that bind
each member, such as the division of labor and profit-
sharing mechanisms.
The formation of this business group should be
managed by the community itself, so that they can
learn how to cooperate and organize and elect a chair
who has the capability and capability sufficient to
lead. This is done to make them accustomed to face
the same conditions to encourage the empowerment
process itself. Farmers and tourism groups that are
formed are expected to apply and share their
knowledge to other communities that have not been
involved in the activities of business groups.
3.3 Resources Delivery
Delivery of resources intended in this empowerment
program may be in the form of physical, material or
human resources. Physical resources such as
workshops. This workshop includes various tools that
will be used for business group development.
Material resources are the ingredients that form the
basis of business development. While human
resources in the form of skills and abilities possessed
by target community groups with better quality.
The process of delivering of these resources has
been done by the Mekar Tani Jaya Independent
Agriculture and Rural Training Center (P4S) with a
program of farmers, producers of agricultural
Empowerment of Rural Community through the Development of Village Tourism
425

products, and communities that develop other
creative economies. This is reinforced by an
explanation from the village leader of Cibodas stating
that basically the process of delivering these
resources has already exists, but has not yet touched
the community as a whole. The most important thing
in the development of this resource is the resources
that will be used is the potential owned by Cibodas
Village so that the community can improve its ability
by optimizing the existing resources.
In the process of community empowerment,
especially the delivery of resources in line with the
opinion expressed by Salman (1995) that the role of
outsiders, in this case, NGOs or donors are not actors
who plan, design and make decisions about the
agenda of improvement of the plight of the poor.
They are simply facilitators, supporters and
amplifiers of the agenda planned and implemented by
the community through local organizations. Delivery
of resources should consider the local potential in the
Cibodas village, so later after the program has been
completed, the community still perform activities in
the framework of self-development and society by
using the potential that exists.
4 CONCLUSIONS
Based on the results of the research, it can be
concluded that the process of awareness is done
through open discussion process between community
leaders, religious leaders, youth, and government.
The organizing process is carried out by empowering
existing organs by strengthening through
organizational coaching. Organizing in the
development of village tourism is driven by the
Center of Independent Agriculture and Rural (P4S)
Mekar Tani Jaya. Delivery of resources is done by
providing physical, material or human resources.
Physical resources such as the availability of
workshops or workshops. This workshop includes
various tools that will be used for business group
development. Material resources are the ingredients
that form the basis of business development. While
human resources in the form of improving skills and
abilities possessed by target community groups with
better quality.
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