ROLE OF YOUTH COMMUNITY IN DEVELOPING TOURISM MICRODESTINATION ONE VILLAGE TEN DESTINATIONS (OVTD): A CASE OF TOURISM MICRO-DESTINATION IN LANTAN VILLAGE NORTH BATUKLIANG CENTRAL LOMBOK INDONESIA

Abstract

Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara is one of the 10 Priority Tourism Destinations projected by the government to be an alternative tourism destination other than Bali. The government established Mandalika area located in Kuta, Central Lombok into Special Economic Zone (KEK) where the 3A (attraction, accessibility, and amenity) development focus on that area. However, Lombok's tourist attraction itself is not centered only in the KEK zone, therefore it takes supporting destinations that should be developed as an integrated part of tourism development in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The local communities want to play its role in this development. The research tries to find how youth local community responds to a new concept of tourism micro-destination development. One Village Ten Destinations (OVTD) is a pilot project to develop micro-destinations as an integrated part of the tourism development program. This paper is a preliminary research upon the role of youth community in the rural area in developing OVTD concept, case studied in Lantan Village, North Batukliang, Central Lombok. Key elements in the OVTD development are the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) formed in the village, as well as a local regulator (Village Administrative), academics as a facilitator through a participatory research action (PAR) explore development process within the community, from the first stage as a concept into an action. We are using a series of focus group discussion in this research interviews as well as a collection of visual data of the community projects. The preliminary result of this research is the youth local community able to ignite the development of OVTD although facing several obstacles. The youth local community also confidently communicating the concept to the legislator and regional government in Central Lombok in a form of the hearing session at the Representative House as well as developing project proposal on tourism micro-destinations development of their area to the regional government.