THE POLITICS OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM GOVERNANCE IN INDONESIA: POWER RELATIONS, GOVERNMENT POLICY, AND LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Guntur Khayangan Sitompul (Universitas Sumatera Utara)

KOLABORASI: Journal of Multidisciplinary
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026): July

Sustainable tourism governance in Indonesia is shaped by complex relations among state authority, market interests, institutional arrangements, and community agency. This study examines these dynamics through a qualitative case-study approach based on documentary analysis and relevant scholarly literature. The analysis applies Foucauldian governmentality, collaborative governance, participation theory, political ecology, and tourism justice perspectives. The findings show that sustainability functions as a governmental rationality that structures policy priorities and institutional practices. Decentralisation expands local authority but also produces fragmentation and accountability gaps. Community participation remains uneven and often stops at consultation rather than co-determination. Local knowledge is selectively recognised, creating challenges for epistemic justice, while market-oriented tourism can reproduce unequal access to resources and benefits. At the same time, communities negotiate, reinterpret, and resist official tourism agendas through collective practices and local institutions. Sustainable tourism therefore requires stronger accountability, inclusive decision-making, recognition of local knowledge, and fairer benefit distribution across destinations.