Finding Creative Ways for Sustainable “Desa Wisata” (Tourist Village)

Abstract

Tourism has major, economic, social, and environmental impacts. It is one of the significant economic sectors in Indonesia. Tourism can give a great contribution to improving the living standard of the local community. But, without a sustainable planning and management, it would turn merely into “staging tourism,” wherein the program would be more like a zoo or a museum. Mass tourism, in many ways, has affected the local culture in Indonesia, such as the culture and the traditional built environment. Many traditional villages are transformed into urban environments, including cultural heritage villages when it becomes Desa Wisata. What creative ways can be worked on to maintain sustainable tourist villages? This architectural research is done to some lessons learned from some tourist villages in Java, Indonesia. It incorporated literature studies and field observation. The study gave an indication that tourist villages in Indonesia are unsustainable and need creative ways to maintain their local wisdom wisely.