Purpose: This study examines how local-government support for community-based tourism (CBT) is translated—or fails to be translated—into inclusive local economic development in Indigenous territories in Jayapura Regency, Papua.Method: Using an embedded qualitative single-case design, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with public officials, destination managers, and Indigenous representatives, complemented by field observations and policy documents from 2022–2024. Data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis, source-convergence matrices, and theory-guided process reconstruction.Result: Government support generated tourism facilities, training, and promotional initiatives; however, the development pathway weakened due to limited customary decision-making authority, insufficient organizational capacity, fragmented financing and market access, and weak local supplier integration. Reported income increases of 10–15% among selected tourism enterprises do not demonstrate destination-wide or household-level causal impacts.Practical Implications for Economic Growth and Development: Local governments should strengthen customary co-decision mechanisms, develop enterprise incubation linked to finance and markets, enhance local procurement, and monitor value creation, leakage, livelihood diversification, resilience, and Indigenous ownership.Originality/Value: This study develops the Indigenous Collaborative Tourism Governance Model (ICTGM), a provisional and testable framework linking institutional anchoring, collective trust, joint decision-making, business capability, market linkages, and local value retention through adaptive feedback.
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