Virtual-cultural Tourism of Sesekaran Topeng in Kampung Budaya Polowijen: New Look and Challenges of Traditional e-Tourism Packaging in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This paper discusses the research results of the relationship between tourism and the pandemic. Its primary focus is analyzing the Polowijen Cultural Village's creative work (Indonesian: Kampung Budaya Polowijen or KBP) community in developing local tourism. KBP has been a thematic tourism icon of Malang since 2016, changing the Covid-19 pandemic. This pandemic has apparently bred changes in tourism. The correlation between tourism and pandemic is obviously seen in two flanks of tourism characteristics, i.e., vulnerability to and resilience against disasters or pandemics. The community resiliency in retaining tourism is indicated by how they creatively design e-tourism in a form of ‘sesekaran topeng’ virtual cultural tourism. The pandemic does not hinder the community’s optimism about tourism. For instance, the discovery of traditions, the repositioning of the Ragil Kuning Mask, the packaging of the ‘sesekaran topeng’ tradition in Kampung Budaya Polowijen (KBP) in Malang City East Java indicate community engagement in the social development of tourism and resilience against the Covid-19 pandemic.