Youth-Led Community-Based Tourism Development in Coastal Communities: Evidence from Natsepa Beach, Maluku, Indonesia

Friska Pebri Yanti Sinurat; Pieter Jacob Pelupessy; Jouverd Fendli Frans

doi:10.67412/jsgs.v1i1.59

Authors

Friska Pebri Yanti Sinurat Universitas Pattimura, Indonesia
Pieter Jacob Pelupessy Universitas Pattimura, Indonesia
Jouverd Fendli Frans Universitas Pattimura, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.67412/jsgs.v1i1.59

Keywords:

Community-Based Tourism, Coastal Communities, Cultural Preservation, Environmental Stewardship, Local Entrepreneurship

Abstract

This study examines how youth-led initiatives contribute to community-based tourism development in coastal communities, focusing on Natsepa Beach, Maluku, Indonesia. It investigates how youth agency is translated into collective action, local entrepreneurship, environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, and community-based tourism governance. A qualitative single-case study was conducted using an interpretive approach, with data collected through semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and relevant community and tourism documents. Participants were purposively selected from youth tourism actors, local entrepreneurs, community and traditional leaders, village government representatives, tourism managers, residents, and government officials. Thematic analysis was employed to identify patterns of youth agency, collective action, social innovation, economic engagement, environmental practices, cultural participation, and institutional interaction. The findings show that young people function not merely as tourism participants but as local change agents who initiate collective activities, create small-scale economic opportunities, support environmental management, and reinforce community and cultural values. However, the transformative capacity of youth initiatives remains conditioned by training, infrastructure, institutional support, inter-organizational coordination, and government engagement. The study contributes to community-based tourism scholarship by conceptualizing youth-led tourism development as a process through which youth agency is transformed into collective action and social innovation, connecting economic, environmental, cultural, and governance dimensions of local development.

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