Development of Community-Based Geotourism at the Muara Sibandang Geosite in North Tapanuli Regency

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_44How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Geotourism; community participation; community-based tourism

Abstract

This research explores how community-based geotourism is being developed at the Muara Sibandang Geosite, which lies within the Toba Caldera Geopark an area renowned for its exceptional geological formations and diverse cultural heritage. Although the site offers considerable potential, its role in advancing tourism at both the local and regional levels remains underutilized. To gain deeper insights, the study applies a qualitative approach through ethnographic methods, drawing upon data from in-depth interviews and participatory observations involving local residents, government representatives, tourism awareness groups, geopark administrators, and non-governmental organizations. The findings reveal that the involvement of local communities is still superficial, as their engagement is mostly limited to consultations and the sharing of information, without significant participation in actual decision-making. Several obstacles have been identified, including inadequate infrastructure, restricted access to relevant information, limited capacity of local human resources, and weak coordination among stakeholders. In response, the study underscores the importance of strategies such as enhancing community skills and organizational capacity, fostering stronger collaboration across stakeholder groups, and expanding the use of digital marketing platforms to promote geotourism initiatives. Overall, the results point to the urgent need for a development model that is inclusive and participatory, firmly anchored in local cultural values, to ensure the sustainability of geotourism. Genuine community engagement not only safeguards natural and cultural resources but also contributes to long-term social and economic improvements for the local population. In conclusion, this study adds to the body of knowledge on community-based tourism by providing practical recommendations for geopark management in Indonesia and offers lessons for other developing regions striving to harmonize conservation, cultural identity, and sustainable tourism development.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Tiarmauli Simarmata
AU  - Hidayat Amsani
AU  - Supsiloani Supsiloani
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/12
TI  - Development of Community-Based Geotourism at the Muara Sibandang Geosite in North Tapanuli Regency
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (ICSSIS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 543
EP  - 562
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_44
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-499-0_44
ID  - Simarmata2025
ER  -