TOURISM GOVERNANCE CRISIS (A Study on the Kampung Ketupat Tourism Destination, 2024)

Abstract

This study analyzes the governance crisis in tourism management at Kampung Ketupat, a community-based tourism destination in Banjarmasin, Indonesia, in 2024. The city government promoted the area as a community-based tourism destination; however, over time, it experienced a decline in visitor numbers and ceased operations in early 2024. This research employs a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with local communities, government officials, and tourism stakeholders, complemented by field observations and analysis of relevant policy and planning documents. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to examine patterns of collaboration, forms of participation, and power relations among actors. The findings indicate weak collaborative governance, the dominance of top-down decision-making, and limited community participation that remains largely symbolic. Although formally involved, local communities lack substantive influence over planning, management, and benefit distribution processes. Government and non-community actors continue to dominate policy direction, financial management, and spatial utilization. This condition reflects social exclusion and spatial injustice, in which communities are marginalized from spaces they have historically and culturally inhabited. The study emphasizes that the governance crisis is not merely technical or administrative in nature, but is rooted in unequal power relations, weak accountability, and institutional failure to ensure meaningful citizen participation.