Assessing Underwater Coral Reefs Ecotourism Object in Rembang Regency Based on Suitability Index and Carrying Capacity Analysis

Abstract Gede Island which located in Rembang regency has the potential for underwater beauty that is more promising to attract tourists to visit this area. Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems with a potential for ecotourism. This research aimed to determine the index of suitability and carrying capacity of coral reefs in the Gede Islands waters in Rembang Regency as new ecotourism objects. Data collected included coral reef cover and abundance of fish species using Point Intercept Transect (PIT). The data were analyzed using tourism suitability index as well as physical carrying capacity of the area. The results show the abundance of marine resources at the coral reefs, which include 25 coral species and 44 reef fish species. The tourism suitability index (TSI) for snorkeling was 61.5% with a carrying capacity of 324 persons per day. The TSI for diving was 55.5% with a physical carrying capacity of 2,619 persons per day. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was 26%, which means that snorkeling and diving should be prioritized. The economic valuation analysis resulted marine that tourism in Coastal recreation in Wates, Rembang Regency based on the Travel Cost Method (TCM) method is a yearly IDR 35,672,331,326.00