Volume 3, Number 12, October 2022 e-ISSN: 2797-6068 and p-ISSN: 2777-0915
COMMUNITY READINESS IN SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEQUIRAKA
TOURISM AREA IN MUNICIPALITY OF VIQUEQUE, TIMOR-LESTE
|
KEYWORDS Community Readiness, Development Tourism Area,
Lequiraka |
ABSTRACT The wealth of nature, diversity of culture,
and value of history possessed by Timor-Leste are essential potential
triggers for developing the tourism sector. The provision of infrastructure
in the tourism area, improvement of historical buildings, and promotion of
the wealth of natural as well as cultural abroad have been carried out by the
government to attract visitors to be able to visit Timor-Leste. The main
target of the development of the tourism sector is increasing income and
community�s welfare. One of the places used to promote destination
tourism is Lequiraka. The purpose of this study is
to assess the readiness of the people of Ossorua
Village to support the development of the Lequiraka
tourism area. The study was conducted in the village of Ossorua
for two months, from September to October 2021. The data collection method
was a preliminary survey and interviews with thirty people from the communities
of Ossorua Village. The data analysis using the Likert analysis
scale 1-5 to determine the readiness of the Ossorua
village community to support the development of the tourism area and then
described descriptively. Community have
a moderate level of education (43%), involvement in the development activities
of the development area is considered good. The community's readiness is considered good because
it is seen from the level of education, community involvement, and
participation is very supportive of the development of the tourism area. |
INTRODUCTION
The sector of tourism is
one of the sectors that have an essential
in contributing to state revenue. Tourism in various countries such as
Thailand, Singapore, Fiji, the Philippines, Maldives, Hawaii,
and others depends on foreign exchange from tourist visits (Pitana & Gayatri, 2005). The
existence of tourism development is expected that the development of other
sectors will increase and support one another. Yoeti (2000) argues
that tourism is expected to be a determining factor and contributor in
gradually managing or developing other sectors' development. According
to Smith (1988) in (Pitana & Gayatri,
2005), an area used as a tourist destination must provide transportation, travel
services, accommodation, food services, activities and attractions
(recreation/culture/entertainment), retail goods.
Timor-Leste
is a new country in Southeast Asia to be formed in 2002 (Constitution RDTL,
2002).
It is located in the eastern part of Indonesia and the north of Australia (Martins, 2017). The
development of the tourism sector in Timor-Leste is currently experiencing an
increase. Data from Timor-Leste tourism statistics show that the level of
tourist visits increased in 2018 by 74,661 people compared to 2014, which was
only 59,811 people (General Directorate
of Statistics, 2019). This is
because Timor-Leste has a variety
of potentials that can be used as a tourist attraction, such as biodiversity,
community culture, its inherent history, and historical buildings. According to
(Barreto & Giantari,
2015), the
potential resources owned by forests, land, and sea are assets that must be
optimally utilized to benefit development through the tourism sector. Tourism
promotion and infrastructure development and infrastructure in several tourism
areas have been built by the government to attract tourists. Next (Pereira,
2017)
stated that the development of the tourism sector, especially ecotourism, has
been built in Beloi village, Atauro island, and is expected to increase
people's income through tourism. As for opinion by (Soares,
2012),
the Ministry of Tourism has built several existing tourist attractions to
attract local and foreign tourists. Some of the places built consisted;
construction of the COM coastal area in Lautem, Seloi kraik in Aileu, mota
bendera waterfall in Ermera, Marobo hot spring in Bobonaro, and Lequiraka
nature cave in Municipal Viqueque.
One
of the tourist attractions that will be developed in Timor-Leste is
the Lequiraka tourism area. This tourism area
is located in Ossorua Village, precisely
17 km from Viqueque
Municipality. Viqueque is one of the Municipalities in
Timor-Leste, located at the eastern of the country of Timor-Leste. Viqueque is
one of the municipalities whose development is relatively low compared to other
municipalities in Timor-Leste. According to da (da Cruz, 2015),
Municipal viqueque is one of the municipalities with a low economic level
because the regional development is relatively low. In addition, this municipality
will also later become a national development target because it will be used as
a supply base area in the 2010-2030 strategic development plan (Government of
Republic of Timor-Leste, 2011). With this
development, it is hoped that all sectors will support each other, especially
the tourism sector, because it makes it easier for visitors to carry out
tourist activities to tourist destinations. According to the opinion of (Betteng, 2019),
a tourism destination is an area or place where tourists can enjoy various
experiences while traveling.
The level of community participation and
readiness in developing a tourist destination is urgently needed. This is
because the community is the leading actor in tourism development. According to
(Sugiharto, Delita,
& Sidauruk, 2018), the
success of community-based tourism is primarily determined by the readiness of
the community to be directly involved. The community is not only the object of
tourism development, but the community also has a strategic role as a
determinant of the direction of tourism development. However, so far, the
tourism sector has only prioritized the profit aspect without building local
communities around tourist attractions. People's lives also have a selling
point in this sector by introducing its history and cultural diversity. (Kurniati, Meidiana, & Wicaksono, 2015)
argue that several indicators affect the community's readiness regarding the
plan of development activities, namely knowledge, skills, physique, and will of
the community. In other words, the high readiness of the community is
influenced by high knowledge, good skills, a healthy physical will, and the
strongness of the community. In addition, one of the most important things is
to use critical leaders or influential people to speak to the community as a
form of motivation for the community to participate in activities.
A tourist destination area is
considered developing if its community participates and is directly involved in
the development process. Therefore, the community needs to be included in every
process. The support of the government and non-governmental institutions is
urgently needed in this regard. In addition, the potential and natural beauty
possessed by this area have not been fully supported by the availability of
tourism facilities and infrastructure for tourism development, lack of
promotion, and lack of ability or skills from the community (Regional
Responder, September 2021, Personal communication). Suppose the development of
this tourism area is developed optimally, providing opportunities for residents
to improve their economic life. In that case, it can also help increase the
income of other village communities because of the availability of jobs.
Furthermore, the data and
information needed to develop this tourist destination are still limited
because there is no research conducted at that location. So with this research,
it is hoped that it can provide valuable data, information, and input for all
parties in developing this tourist destination for the better. Based on some of
the things mentioned above, the purpose of this study is to assess the
community's readiness to support the development of lequiraka tourist
destinations.
METHOD�� RESEARCH
The research was
conducted in Ossorua Village, Ossu
sub-district, Municipality of Viqueque, Timor-Leste for two months, from September to October 2021. The tools and instruments
used in this research are stationery, cameras
for documentation, voice recording devices, GPS (Global
Positioning System), and the guidelines for the interview.
The data of the research were taken through the initial survey, interviews, and
literature studies. �The researcher made
preliminary observations to collect preliminary data in supporting research
information due to the lack of unavailability of data at this research site. The
literature study was carried out by looking for various relevant research related
to the research carried out and obtaining initial information on tourism
development. Some literature studies include journals, theses, tourists� visit
reports, and documents of the tourism development plan.
Interview
was conducted with the person in charge of the tourism area and 30 people
Ossorua Villagers. Collection of data on the readiness of community used the
guidelines of interview. The goal was to find the information about the
obstacles that were faced, level of visitors� visits, and the plan of tourism
areas development.
The
determination of respondents was selected by using purposive sampling with
criteria; community who settled in the village of Ossorua who lived around the
location of research or along the road to the area of tourism with an age range
of 18-70 years of age. Another
criteria is the people who got benefit
directly or indirectly from the development of lequiraka
destinations. The data of research were analyzed by
using Likert scale analysis of 1-5 with scoring consisting of 5 categories,
namely Very ready (VR) = 5, Ready (R) = 4, uncertain (U) = 3, Not ready (NR) = 2, Very unprepared (VU) = 1. The results of the analyzed data were then described descriptively (Anonim, 2021).
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The general condition of Tourism Area
The
area of Lequiraka tourism has several attractions. The attractions are the
natural cave, Labalou historical place, and several types of plants and
wildlife, among of them: parrots (Loriini),
turtledove and wild chicken (Gallus
gallus). Dominant plants are growing in the area of tourism Lequiraka are palms
and bamboo.
Figure 1 The appearance of Tourism Area
(a) Labalou Historical Place.
(b) Lequiraka Natural Cave. (c) Groups of palem plants
that grow dominantly in tourism area� (d) Parrot. One of the animals spesies that found in tourism area (a) (d) (c)
(b)
Community Readiness in Supporting
Activities of Tourism Area
Development
The
readiness of community of Ossorua Village takes an essential role in the
process of developing of regional destination. The aspects are assessed from
readiness of community are level of education, ability, and participation of
community in developing of regional activity. The participations of community
comprise planning, managing, as well as the evaluating of tourism development.
Figure 2
Community Education Level
Source: Primary data
analysis
The level of education is taken by the community of
Ossorua Village consist of Elementary School, Junior High School, Senior High
School, and University. A part of community have never studied at school or not
completing the Elementary School education. Chart 1 above shows that the
citizens take in secondary school who occupy the highest percentage (43%)
compared with those university level (7%). So that it shows that the majority
of ossorua villagers have a moderate level of education. Currently, community feel that
education is very
important because with
education people can
change the level
of life
to be
more feasible. Education is
one of the important factors of development supporting because it assesses the
readiness and availability of human resources. This matter is
supported by the opinion of (Arida, 2017) that the
level of community�s education is very influential in assessing the level of
readiness or ability of the community about its capacity for development.
The majority of people (55%) agreed
with the establishment of a destination area. With the existence of this tourism
area, it is hoped that the village community can get results from the
development of the area both directly and indirectly. Since the start of the
development process of the area, the community has also been involved. Until
now, people indirectly feel that they get benefits from the results of the
development of the tourism area because the community's agricultural products
can be sold, such as fruits and others around the area. Community agricultural
products can also be used as processed, such as chips and other snacks, and
sold around the area or elsewhere. The community stated that it has the
opportunity to earn additional income from tourist activities. The head of the
hamlet also conveyed that the people of the Sub-village of
Watulawa who live around the Lequiraka tourism area and along the road to the
tourist attraction, are free to sell their agricultural products to visitors.
In addition, he also added that many tourists from various places visited this tourism
area so that they could sell agricultural products to the community and people
could benefit from their business. According to him, the level of tourist
visits is decreasing compared to the beginning of the region's establishment.
Therefore, his party is trying to prepare a way to attract tourists. One of
them is the improvement of facilities and infrastructure that plan ways such as
providing information and improving the facilities needed in the tourism area.
The community considers
infrastructure development, road access, and lighting/electricity excellent
(48%), but clean water is still inadequate. With the development of this
sector, it is hoped that it can support other sectors, especially in developing
the Lequiraka tourism destination, so that the surrounding community can take
advantage of it to get their income. The development of Lequiraka tourist
destinations is used by the people of Ossorua village and by the people of
other villages such as Waguia and Loihuno Villages to increase their economic
income. According to what was stated by Damanik (2006) in (Pangastuti,
2016)
that the surrounding community, especially indigenous people who live in tourism
areas, is one of the key players in tourism, so the readiness of the community
to be involved in the development of ecotourism is essential.
Community involvement in the
development activities of the destination area is considered good. The
community states that as many as 34% are involved in regional development
activities. In terms of support, the community disagrees that management and
government assistance, both material or non-material, to build their business
in tourism increase their income. People feel that in building a business, they
need capital, but they have not received funds or assistance from any part of organization. So far,
they have only used their money to open culinary along the way, such as the
cost of opening a restaurant around the destination area or the typical
culinary of the village community. �According to (Tolkach, King, & Pearlman, 2012) that to advancing communities
based tourism in Timor-Leste, founded challenges,
some of which are as follows: 1) Lack of access to vocational education
and training; 2)
Limited management skills and knowledge of community, 3) Lack of
ongoing support for CBT, short-term project orientation applicable; 4) Lack of
financial support opportunities, as more than 30% of the population lives below
the poverty line, and the financial credit system is still developing; 5) Lack of
physical infrastructure and unsatisfactory conditions (roads, electricity, and
telecommunications); 6)
Intra-community conflict due to jealousy; 7) Conflicts of
land use priorities between agriculture, industry, recreation, and nature
conservation.
The community feels ready in terms
of service quality because they have the ability to master information about
the destination area. This area is near the community residents, and during the
construction process, the community is involved in the development process. The
level of community communication is categorized as good because the people of
Ossorua Village can communicate in several languages, like Tetum dan Makasa�e. Some people can still be spoken Portuguese and Indonesian. A large part of
the population of Timor Lest, who lives in the eastern part, has five dominant
languages: Makasae, Tetum, Uaimu'a, Nauety, and Kairui (Klinken &
Williams, 2015).
In terms of empowerment, the
community agrees that developing Lequiraka destinations can help empower the
surrounding community, especially young women, housewives, and out-of-school
youth. The community is willing to improve the quality of its services, in this
case, it is ready to participate in empowerment activities for the community if
the government provides, especially empowerment in tourism from tourism
symmetry. So far, the community has not received training in tourism organized
governments. Need capacity-building training and empowerment from the
government for managers, tourist guides, and the community, especially
housewives and young women. Mrs. Celeste stated that the people of Ossorua
Village, especially housewives and young women, have not received training on
services in the field of tourism. Mr. Leopoldo conveyed that his party and
several people involved in protecting this area have not received training from
the government. The community can be involved in counseling and arousing
community concern
The addition of tourist
attractions, such as community culinary, handicrafts, and traditional dances,
needs to be developed or exposed to be an attraction for tourists. The culinary
of these communities include Tukir and katupa. Currently, the community still
provides culinary in tourism areas in small quantities because the number of
visitors who visit the area is still low.. The community can also be empowered
as a guide (tour guide), souvenir craftsman, transportation services, and food
and beverage providers for visitors (Taghulihi, Kumenaung, & Tumangkeng, 2019); (Pangastuti,
2016).
The increase in quantity will be
adjusted to the number of tourist visits. The addition of signposts and danger
signs will be carried out. Likewise, with facilities and infrastructure,
repairs to damaged facilities and infrastructure will add to the less. Ready to
work together to help maintain security and provide comfort for visitors who
visit the tourism area.
Most people strongly agree to
assist the government in providing clean water in tourism areas. This matter
also applies to environmental sanitation because the availability of clean
water and sanitation is one of the essential points in tourism development. Based on information from the tourism area
manager, his party has tried to ask for support from the government to provide
clean water in the tourism area, but until now, it has not received a response. Report from The Water Supply and Sanitation Investment
Project that (WSSIP) will support the Government of Timor-Leste to improve
water supply and sanitation (WSS) in three cities; such as Lospalos,
Viqueque and Same by drawing on experiences and
lessons learned from the ADB Second District Capitals Water Supply Project (Asia
Development Bank, 2021).
CONCLUSION
The people's readiness
plays an essential role in developing regional destinations in the future. The
majority of the community have a
moderate level of education. The
community's readiness is considered good because it is seen from the level of
education, community involvement, and participation is very supportive of the
development of the tourism area. The community stated they would participate
and contribute to developing tourism areas. People feel disposed to improve
their skills and quality of service and be friendly to visitors. Maintain the
safety and comfort of visitors and be ready to participate in maintaining
existing facilities and infrastructure in the destination area.
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Copyright holders:
Maria Ligia de Jesus Pereira Babo, Tutut Sunarminto,
Arzyana Sunkar (2022)
First publication right:
Devotion - Journal of Research and Community
Service
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International