DISCOVER THE POTENTIAL OF COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM IN KUTU WETAN VILLAGE

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the strategy to Restart Tourism have become a turning point in increasing awareness of the role of sustainability in being more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. Tourism in rural areas offers significant recovery opportunities as travelers seek fewer crowds, open-air experiences, and local cultures. This study aims to see the potential of Kutu Wetan Village to be community-based tourism using the 4C (Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce) model.  Qualitative data collection methods were carried out through in-depth interviews and participatory observations. This study is focusing on the Kutu Wetan Village, Jetis District, Ponorogo Regency, East Java. The result of this study affirms that there is a potential for Kutu Wetan Village to be a community-based tourism village. The community is happy to work together to preserve the existing culture by regularly cleaning the Suru Kubeng meditation location, regularly performing Reog at events on important dates. The beauty of the rice field available is a great potential for tourism development. However, Kutu Wetan Village still has a lot to prepare to create Community-based tourism. A tourism village should also implement tourism value chain activities (TVCA) for competitive advantage creation. This study also provides several recommendations for successfully creating community-based tourism based on World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) (2021) Keywords: Community-Based Tourism, Cultural, Commerce, Conservation, Community, Pandemic Tourism