The potential for developing ecologically sustainable rural tourism in Surakarta, Indonesia: a case study

Abstract

This article investigates the potential for developing ecologically sustainable rural tourism in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia as an attempt to begin the process of building a knowledge base. A qualitative method, which included secondary and pri-mary data, was utilized. Various tourism stakeholders including tour operators, tour-ism managers, tourist researchers and villagers were interviewed to determine the rural tourism potential of the region. Results indicate that there is potential to develop rural tourism in the Surakarta area. Natural and cultural resources, abundant human resources and the existing facilities and infrastructure in the region will strengthen the development. However, there are potential problems that need to be addressed if the development of ecologically sus-tainable rural tourism in the region is to succeed. In order for the development to be successful, many key issues including professionalism, interpretation, appropriate management and local community involvement should be given priority attention. This study is an initial step towards a better understanding of rural tourism develop-ment in the area.