THE POTENTIAL OF LAKE WAE ELA AS A NATURAL TOURISM OBJECT IN NEGERI LIMA, LEIHITU DISTRICT, CENTRAL MALUKU REGENCY

Wae Ela Lake is one of the tourist attractions in Central Maluku Regency. The Wae Ela Lake tourist site has long been visited by local communities as well as visitors from outside the region. Wae Ela lake has a high attraction potential but is not yet optimized, which has resulted in a low level of visitor interest. This research aims to identify the potential attractions, accessibility, and amenities of the natural tourist site Lake Wae Ela, Negeri Lima, Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency. The data collection method used includes observation, documentation, interviews, and the distribution of questionnaires to 40 visitor respondents and 3 key actors. The analysis employed is the ADO-ODTWA assessment result indicates that Lake Wae Ela, has four assessment components, among which the high scores include tourist attractions, while accessibility and infrastructure received potential scores, making Lake Wae Ela classified as high potential for development as a natural tourism destination.