Beyond Tourism: Community Empowerment and Resilience in Rural Indonesia

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is increasingly pivotal for sustainable rural development in emerging economies, particularly in culturally rich nations like Indonesia. The vulnerability of tourism-dependent communities, starkly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the urgent need to understand how CBT can foster socio-economic resilience—the capacity to withstand, adapt to, and recover from shocks. This study aims to investigate the relationship between CBT governance models and socio-economic resilience in rural Indonesia, identifying the critical factors that enable communities to thrive amidst adversity. A comparative qualitative case study design was employed, focusing on three tourism villages in Yogyakarta (Nglanggeran) and Bali (Penglipuran, Jasri). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation conducted from June to August 2024. The findings reveal that villages with inclusive participation, strong local leadership, and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms (e.g., Nglanggeran) demonstrate higher resilience, characterized by economic diversification, robust social capital, and strong adaptive capacity. In contrast, top-down governance (Penglipuran) or entrepreneurial but fragmented initiatives (Jasri) can limit inclusivity and adaptability, constraining resilience. This research contributes to the CBT literature by providing a comparative analysis of resilience outcomes across different governance contexts in Indonesia. It offers a refined framework for understanding how local institutions and community agency interact to build resilience. The study provides practical insights for policymakers and community leaders, highlighting the importance of fostering inclusive governance, strategic partnerships, and economic diversification to enhance the long-term sustainability and resilience of tourism-dependent communities.