Government Strategy for Sembalun Tourism Destination in East Lombok Timur Regency to Support Mandalika as a Super Priority Tourism Destination

Abstract

Sembalun should hold a significant position as part of the competitive tourism golden triangle of Mandalika–Sembalun–Senggigi, capable of rivaling Bali’s tourism within the Nusa Tenggara Islands. This is due to the fact that the Sembalun area in East Lombok possesses great natural and cultural potential. However, it has not been optimally developed to drive regional economic growth and support tourism in West Nusa Tenggara. The aim of this research is to analyze tourism development, identify supporting and inhibiting factors, and formulate strategies for the development of Sembalun tourism in support of the Mandalika Super Priority Tourism Destination (DPSP). A qualitative research design was employed as the research method. Data was collected through observation, document studies, and in-depth interviews with local government officials and tourism actors. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive techniques and SWOT analysis to formulate tourism development strategies. The research findings are as follows: 1) Tourism development in Sembalun has not yet been optimal in supporting the Mandalika Super Priority Tourism Destination (DPSP). Despite its wealth of natural and cultural attractions and the emergence of basic facilities, challenges remain in the aspects of amenities, accessibility, and supporting services that are not yet fully integrated; 2) Supporting factors include natural-cultural potential, community involvement, and government support, while inhibiting factors include the low quality of human resources, uneven infrastructure development, and weak collaboration among stakeholders; 3) The proposed development strategy is a diversification strategy for Sembalun tourism, including strengthening the competitiveness of tourism products, improving the quality of local human resources, optimizing infrastructure and amenities, enhancing inter-stakeholder collaboration, developing digital tourism, and controlling land-use conversion and environmental risks. The novelty of this study lies in the conceptualization of sustainable tourism governance as an approach to sustainable, collaborative, and innovative tourism development. This strategy is adaptive and applicable in regions with similar characteristics.