Community empowerment program as a sustainable economic strategy in Pela Tourism Village

Abstract

The community empowerment program seeks to optimize a village's capacity to enhance the welfare of its residents. This study's aim was to determine different types of community empowerment initiatives. Data collecting methods for this study's qualitative methodology included observation, interviews, documentation, and literature review. Community empowerment is Practiced to bring about change for the residents of the Pela tourist village, particularly in improving knowledge. The study's findings showed that the Pela Tourism Village's development efforts were quite successful, with the leading indicator being the average increase in tourist visits, which was quite significant from year to year. Additionally, the local community's readiness regarding its education, knowledge, and involvement in the tourism village's development demonstrated that the community is adequately prepared to deal with various potential impacts. Local laws, particularly those limiting incoming foreign investment, influence local communities' rising ownership and control and their pride in working and doing business there. Tourist fees provide funding to the government. This is why it is essential to keep growing tourist villages responsibly while prioritizing local populations' needs. The empowerment of local communities must constantly be promoted in addition to physical development to establish a capable, economically self-sufficient tourist community prepared to maximize the economic prospects that result from village tourism operations.