Community Empowerment through Community-based Tourism
Management
A Case Study conducted in Bongo Village, Batudaa Pantai Sub-district, Gorontalo
Regency
Enni Akhmad, Yuwin R. Saleh, and Mujahid Damopolii
Faculty of Education and Teacher Training Sciences, Sultan Amai State Islamic Institute of Gorontalo,
Jl. Sultan Amai No. 1, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia.
Abstract: Empowering community means giving an authority to the community to perform something which actively
involves in economic activities, such as tourism management. This research aims at providing a community
empowerment model through tourism management, such as lodgings and rental vehicles, souvenir shops,
and tour guides. The research employs a qualitative method with the following stages: (1) collecting the
secondary and primary data through field interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observations
(2) sorting the data by selecting those related to economic activities and tourism site management as well as
how tourism management integrated with the economic activities and English learning is (3) displaying the
data by explaining types and models of economic activities to integrate the tourism site management,
economic activities and English learning (4) drawing conclusion by verifying the presented data. The data
are then analyzed using a triangulation combination design between the source and method. The finding shows
that the communities may empower their life through a tourism management model of Community- Based
Tourism. The implication of this finding for theories of community empowerment based on community
tourism is discussed.
1 INTRODUCTION
Bongo village is located at the eastern part of the
south coastal area of Batudaa Pantai sub-district,
Gorontalo Regency, Gorotalo Province, lying on
0029’57.99ǁ South Latitude and 12302’0.90ǁ East
Longitude, approximately ± 12 km from Gorontalo
city center, ± 8 km from the sub-district capital of
Batudaa Pantai, ± 22 km from Gorontalo Regency,
and ± 15 km from Gorontalo province. To reach the
destination, it takes for about 15 minutes from
Gorontalo city center by motor vehicle. Bogo village
is one famous tourism destination site in Gorontalo
province. However, its development is not yet
maximally optimized due to the less professional
management system that its existence has not yet
provided positive impacts to the surrounding
communities’ life. People do not realize that their
tourism potentials may provide various contributions
for the community welfare. Thus, an integrated
empowerment pattern is greatly necessary to manage
the tourism potentials. The surrounding communities
should be involved in tourism management, such as
providing lodgings, small restaurants, souvenir
shops, and tour guides.
Empowerment has the function to give an
authority or power to someone to perform something
(dictionary.com). Bryant & White, (Syafri Harto,
2017) asserts that empowerment is one effort to
foster a greater power and authority for the poor. In
the other definition, Freire (Sutrisno, 1999),
(safriHadi, 2017) proposes that empowerment is not
only providing people opportunities to use the
developed resources and costs, but also encourage
them to find ways to create their independence from
the existing structures. Article 4 of the Village Law
Year 2014 mentions that empowerment is defined as
a supporting activity for the communities to develop
their independence and welfare. Community
independence and welfare may only be achieved
through the development of knowledge, skills,
characters, ability, and awareness by exploring the
natural sources in meeting the communities’ needs
regarding to their main arising problems and
priorities.
46
Akhmad, E., Saleh, Y. and Damopolii, M.
Community Empowerment through Community-based Tourism Management - A Case Study conducted in Bongo Village, Batudaa Pantai Sub-district, Gorontalo Regency.
In Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (ANCOSH 2018) - Revitalization of Local Wisdom in Global and Competitive Era, pages 46-50
ISBN: 978-989-758-343-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

The community empowerment integrated to the
tourism management employs the Community-
Based Tourism (CBT) approach (H. Hermawan,
2018; S. Arietta, 2010; VK Muzha, 2013; DNP Rorah,
2012; N Purbasari and A Asnawi, 2014;
LesegoSenyana Stone &TibaboMoren Stone, 2008:
SyafriHarto, 2017). Community-Based Tourism is a
concept of tourism development approach
emphasizing on the active roles of local
communities’ (either directly involved in tourism
industries or not) in the form of providing
opportunities regarding to the tourism management
and development, including the tourism activities’
even profit sharing for the local communities. Thus,
Community-Based Tourism is defined as (1) a
tourism form which provides opportunities to the
local communities to control and involve in the
tourism management and development; (2) the
communities who do not directly involve in the
tourism businesses may also obtain various benefits
(3) a politically and democratically demanding
community empowerment to the poor in small
villages and islands.
As focusing on the assisted community
empowerment, this research is conducted hand in
hand with the communities in identifying their
potential sources and planning the strategic activities
in order to be implemented in the empowerment
programs. Community-Based Tourism approach is
utilized as a foundation focusing on the tourism
forms which provide opportunities for local
communities to control and involve in the tourism
management and development. In addition, this
research is the implementation of empowerment
system to mentor the communities dealing with their
activities by providing the tourism management and
English mastery trainings by involving a higher
education institution (Sultan Amai State Islamic
Institute of Gorontalo [IAIN Sultan Amai
Gorontalo]) as one Gorontalo provincial government
partner to implement one of their development
programs.
This research aims at providing a community
empower model integrated to the tourism
management, such as lodgings and rental vehicles,
souvenir shops, and tour guides. The research
problem is how the community empowerment model
is integrated with the tourism management, such as
lodgings and rental vehicles, souvenir shops, and
tour guides.
2 METHOD AND DATA
ANALYSIS
This research employs a descriptive-qualitative
method. The data are collected through field
observation by directly coming to the research
location for the primary data collection related to the
tourism site and surrounding community conditions.
In addition, the researchers also collect the
secondary data in the forms of supporting documents
related to the undertaken research. An in-depth
interview to the village head is performed to figure
out the village government roles in tourism
management and to obtain the data of human
resources belonging to the related village. Informal
interviews are also conducted to the community
groups to obtain the data related to their needs and
involvement forms. In addition, focus group
discussions are also made to obtain the data related
to the programs should be implemented in achieving
the research objectives. The data are then analyzed
using a triangulation technique combining the
sources and methods by synchronizing the data
obtained through interviews, focus group
discussions, and the documents collected.
3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The mentoring forms implemented in Bongo
Village, Batudaa Pantai Sub-district, Gorontalo
Regency, Gorontalo Province are by giving
reinforcement, trust, and authority to the
surrounding communities directly involving in the
tourism site management (Fitri Ismail et al., 2016;
Leliya, 2016; and Syafriharto, 2017). The
Community-Based Tourism approach is conducted
with the following four stages:
1. Identifying the stakeholders and their
roles
2. Identifying the resources
3. Preparing the strategic planning
4. Implementing the plan
(AnangMuftiadi, 2017; Regina
Scheyvens and Etsuko Okazaki, 2008;
Lesego S Sebele, 2010).
The first stage is identifying the stakeholders and
their roles conducted by interviewing the village
head as the stakeholder. The interview results show
that the tourism site management located in Bongo
village is entirely handled by individual parties with
family business management. This tourism site is
Community Empowerment through Community-based Tourism Management - A Case Study conducted in Bongo Village, Batudaa Pantai
Sub-district, Gorontalo Regency
47

not yet maximally utilized as one representative
tourism site since there are no supporting facilities,
such as lodgings, rental vehicles, restaurants, souvenir
shops and tour guides. The tourism site has actually
been quite popular at the local, regional, and even
national level. It is shown with approximately
300 tourists come to visit the location each month
and the number even increases twice bigger in
Muharram (the first month of Islamic lunar
calendar) regarding to the commemoration prophet
Muhammad SAW’s birthday. The annual cultural
festival has been officially inaugurated as cultural
tourism based on the Governor decision of
Gorontalo province signed on May 9, 2004. However,
the stakeholders’ involvement is only in holding the
event instead of managing the tourism site.
The next stage is identifying the sources
belonging to Bongo Village, both natural and human
resources. The results of informal interviews to 5
public figures covering one village staff, one hamlet
head, one karangtaruna (village youth organization)
leader, one teacher and one customary head show
that the tourism potentials in Bongo village are
classified into 2 categories. First category is natural
tourism, covering Bubohu Park located in the center
of community Settlements and a mosque with
Golden Vault (MesjidKubahEmas) located at the top
of the hill in Bongo village, 10 km from the center
of community settlements. The second category is
cultural tourism namely Walimahfestival, a
commemoration of the prophet Muhammad SAW’
birthday, which implementation includes Gorontalo
cultural elements. The included cultural elements
cover the Gorontalo Typical food contained in
Tolanga trays carried in a carnival. Tolangatraysand
Kolombengi cookies are the special characteristics
of the carnival.
Bongo village has community organizations
which may be empowered to manage the tourism
site in the village. There are 2 active community
organizations: karangtaruna(village youth)
organization, dan women Family Welfare Motivator
organization (known as
PengerakKesejahteraanKeluarga/PKK). In village
government system, both organizations actively
support the implementation of village development
programs (Village Law No. 4 Year 2014).
The next stage is preparing the strategic
planning. This is the third stage of Community
Based Approach (anangMuftiadi, 2017; Etsuko
Okazaki, 2008; and Lesego S Sebele, 2010). Forum
Group Discussion is a facility to collect people’s
opinions and inputs due to their needs on the
programs planned. The forum directly involve the
village, sub-district, and regency government as well
as private parties, such as tourism business actors,
including travel and flight agents, lodgings, tourism
schools, and higher education institution elements as
the expert team. The forum results in the planning
scheme to use in empowering the communities
through tourism management. The forums also
received an idea to have English mastery training to
all karangtaruna members to prepare the young
generations in Bongo village to become the tour
guides. It is based on one consideration that Bongo
village has the tourism potentials to be
internationally introduced.
The prepared strategic planning includes:
1. Establishing the tourism management
business groups in the field of simple
lodgings and small restaurants, as well
as souvenirs which are provided by the
women groups. Thus, tourism
management and handicraft making
training are held.
2. Providing tourism guiding based-
English mastery training to
karangtaruna group.
The last stage of Community Basic Approach is
implementing the plan. Based on the prepared plan,
there are 2 kinds of training provided for both
women and karangtaruna groups. The training
results show that both women and karangtaruna
groups are able to implement the materials obtained
during the training proven by a house utilized as a
simple lodging; 2 housewife groups have established
small restaurant businesses; 1 women group makes
souvenir businesses; whereas 3 karangtaruna
groups, each consisting of 5 persons, are ready to
become the tour guides.
Due to the generated results from the implemented
trainings, people’s awareness is improving. Their
involvement in tourism management is considered
greatly essential not only for their economic welfare
but also to introduce a friendly and inexpensive
tourism village.
To implement the community empowerment
activities, it is necessary to first understand the local
communities’ strong or potential sectors (Etsuko
Okazaki, 2008; and SyafriHarto, 2017). Thus,
empowerment is not only to give people awareness,
consciousness, authority, and knowledge but also to
realize the implemented activities. SutoroEko (2002)
explains that empowerment is a process of
developing, establishing, encouraging independence,
strengthening the bargaining position of low
ANCOSH 2018 - Annual Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities
48

economic level communities dealing with the
driving forces at any field and sector of life.
Meanwhile, the Government Regulation of the
Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of
Indonesia no. 7 of 2007 on Community
Empowerment Cadres, states that community
empowerment is a strategy used to develop the
communities as one effort to realize their ability and
independence in social, national, and state life
(article 1, paragraph 8).
The strategic plant should be first implemented
through need analysis that it is in accordance with
the people’s needs and ability. Community
empowerment aims at providing knowledge to the
society in determining their life direction that a
model is required to be created as guidance and is
utilized by the communities. In tourism management
concept, the provision of facilities is greatly
essential (SyafriHarto, 2017). All parties, especially
village communities should involve themselves in
tourism management and feel the impacts of the
existence of tourism site in their own areas. Article
33 of the constitutional Law of the Republic of
Indonesia paragraph (1) states that the economy
shall be organized as a common endeavor based
upon the principles of the family system.
Meanwhile, paragraph (4) states that the
organization of the national economy shall be
conducted on the basis of economic democracy
upholding the principles of togetherness, efficiency
with justice, continuity, environmental perspective,
self-sufficiency, and keeping a balance in the
progress and unity of the national economy. The
natural resources managed by individuals and
disregarding to the society is considered as a
violation of the 1945 constitution. Thus, the
community empowerment through the tourism site
management is the best pattern to implement.
4 CONCLUSION
The community empowerment pattern or model
based on the tourism site management focuses on
the tourism management forms intended to provide
opportunities for the local communities to control
and involve in the tourism management and
development. A Community-Based Tourism
approach is implemented through for stages: (1)
identifying the stakeholders and their roles, (2)
identifying resources, (3) preparing strategic
planning, and (4) implementing the plan. When
those four stages are systematically implemented,
the empowerment purposes may also be well
implemented and achieved. The tourism facilities
provided, such as lodgings, rental vehicles, small
restaurants, and souvenir shops greatly require the
surrounding communities’ participations since the
impacts are not only for the people’s welfare but
also the bargaining position of that tourism site.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful to the following people who have
assisted us in various ways with this study : Kasim
Yahidji as the rector of IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo
for his support and motivation, Zulkarnain Suleman
as the head of ….., Abidin as the head of Bongo
village and his community who always given their
time to welcome the researcher and always patient
with their information, SyawalMalambae as the
headmaster of SMK Pariwisata, for his goodness to
facilitate the conduct of this study, BobyThalib and
DelmiyawatyNgiu as the presenters also instructors,
The English lecturers as the presenters, finally we also
acknowledge for the people who cannot mention
one by one.
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