<![CDATA[Community-based ecotourism is frequently proposed as a way to improve coastal livelihoods while protecting ecological and cultural resources, yet its empowering effects depend on who controls decisions, receives benefits, and bears environmental costs. This article examines how ecotourism development can contribute to coastal community empowerment and identifies the conditions necessary for socially inclusive and ecologically responsible implementation. It develops the arguments of the source manuscript through a qualitative narrative synthesis of recent scholarly studies published between 2020 and 2025, interpreted using a thematic framework encompassing participation, capabilities, livelihood diversification, collaborative governance, and conservation. The synthesis indicates that training and accompaniment can improve service skills and local enterprise readiness, whereas meaningful participation requires influence over planning, revenue allocation, access rules, and monitoring. Coastal ecosystems and cultural heritage provide opportunities for guided experiences, small businesses, environmental education, and supplementary income, but tourism does not automatically resolve poverty, resource inequalities, or ecological degradation. The source manuscript also identifies boat-service operators in Sabang as facing competition from integrated online booking platforms and barriers related to foreign-language skills; these descriptions are treated as contextual illustrations rather than quantified field findings. Effective empowerment therefore requires transparent institutions, locally appropriate products, inclusive access to finance and technology, conservation safeguards, and accountable partnerships. The article proposes a practical sequence for community-led planning and an indicator matrix that can guide subsequent field-based evaluation. Its contribution is a cautious, integrated conceptual framework rather than a claim of newly measured impact.]]>
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