<![CDATA[Understanding the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) in community-based forest tourism is essential for sustainable destination management. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the TALC stage of the Mataram Cultural Forest Tourism area. A mixed-methods approach was employed. Data were collected through interviews with site managers, tourist surveys, questionnaires, direct observation, and document review. The composite index was derived from seven variable groups: visitor numbers, tourist characteristics, attractions, accessibility, amenities, institutional capacity, and community participation. Scores ranged from 12.08 to 61.84, indicating substantial differences in development levels. Bukit Mojo, Bukit Panguk, Pinus Asri, and Lintang Sewu remained at the exploration stage with a declining trend; Seribu Batu was at the involvement stage; Puncak Becici was at the development stage; Pinus Sari was at the consolidation stage; whereas Pinus Pengger showed characteristics indicating a transition toward stagnation. These findings suggest that forest tourism development does not always follow a linear TALC trajectory. Visitor numbers alone cannot fully explain this process. Differences in destination development are more strongly associated with institutional capacity, administrative capability, policy coherence, and community participation. This study demonstrates the heuristic value of TALC and the importance of governance-sensitive forest tourism planning. Keywords: community participation, destination development stages, forest-based tourism, institutional governance, Tourism Area Life Cycle]]>
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