Reconstruction and Transformation of Regional Culture Through Tourism: The case of Bangka Belitung Province

Abstract

My most recent research has focused on the province of Bangka Belitung, Indonesia. This province has been an important global tin mining center since the 18th century, but tin has been depleted in recent years and there is a big demand for new industries to replace tin mining. In recent years, the province has begun to focus on tourism development to replace tin mining, and tourism in the province, especially in Belitung Island, is attracting attention in Indonesia. Although ethnically, the Melayu people are in the majority, other ethnic groups such as Chinese have flowed into the region as tin miners since the Dutch colonial era, which is why this province is a multi-ethnic/multi-cultural area. Using Informal interviews and collecting data in Bangka-Belitung islands and Jakarta, I found that the role of central/local government and localts in tourism there. We can see how local government try to make the region more attractive by seeing some movements such as holding cultural event and supporting local residents with commodities, and so forth. Interestingly there are some differences between Bangka and Belitung regarding to the conditions of tourism development. However, both islands are now trying to use multi-cultural characteristic, like Melayu culture and Chinese Indonesian culture, in each touristic event or spot to show how their province is "unique" and attractive.Also, the mine site itself has the potential to be a regional cultural resource. Recently there are some local residents who struggle to construct a new leisure spot near the tin mine. Keywords—Indonesia, Tourism, Tin mining, Culture