Landscape planning for community-based ecotourism at coastal areas of paloh distric, West Kalimantan

Abstract

District Paloh has a variety of coastal resources that potentially to be developed as ecotourism area. This study aims to plan this coastal landscape for community-based coastal ecotourism area. The research method used was a qualitative descriptive method to assess the potential of the ecotourism object and attraction, coastal suitability and the carrying capacity of the area. Assessing the potential objects and attractions utilized the modified method of Mc Kinnon (1986) and Gunn (1994), while assessing the suitability of ecotourism area used Bakosurtanal criteria (1996) and its carrying capacity used Boullion (1985) and WTO standards (1992). The study also assessing community participation used Participatory Rural Appraisal method (2006). The results of ecotourism objects and tourist attractions the assessment indicate that the coastal districts Paloh has six ecotourism objects and attractions (60%) with considerable potential category and four ecotourism objects and attractions (40%) with less potential category. Suitability analysis for coastal tourism categories have three class is highly suitable, moderately suitable, and marginally suitable, whereas for marine tourism categories there are three different classes of the class is moderately suitable, marginally suitable, and non suitable area. The assessment of the area shows that the attraction of tourists to the capacity of coastal tourism in total 305 visitors per trip or 1770 visitors per day and marine tourism as many as 55 visitors per visit for diving activity (330 total per day) and 218 visitors per visit (1308 total per day) for snorkeling activities in tourism object area. The ecotourism activities planned are tours of ecosystem observation, camping, boating, swimming, diving, snorkeling, fishing, and hunting photos, and facilities are tourist information center, restaurant, hotel, homestay, tower view, rest rooms and toilets, tourist interpretation boards, and souvenir center. To protect the coastal as touristic areas, so the government shoud have conservation rule and policy of the area. Community participation should be encouraged to give economic opportunity to local people.