Toward World Heritage Nomination: Governance Challenges and Community Entrepreneurship in the Wolio Fortress Landscape

Abstract

This study examines the governance challenges and community-based entrepreneurship opportunities influencing the readiness of the Wolio Fortress Landscape, Baubau, Indonesia, for World Heritage nomination. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research combines document analysis of the Wolio Fortress nomination dossier with stakeholder perspectives, informed by recent scholarship on urban heritage governance, living heritage, and sustainable tourism. The findings show that Wolio represents a multi-layered heritage landscape with strong historical, cultural, religious, and political significance as the former center of the Buton Sultanate. However, its nomination readiness remains constrained by fragmented governance, weak institutional coordination, limited community influence in decision-making, and increasing pressures from urban transformation and tourism development. The study emphasizes that Wolio should be understood not merely as a defensive structure, but as a living heritage landscape shaped by the dynamic interaction between physical attributes, local institutions, and everyday practices. Within this framework, community-based entrepreneurship emerges as a strategic mechanism to bridge heritage conservation and local well-being through heritage interpretation, cultural experiences, and community-led tourism services. This article argues that advancing the Wolio Fortress Landscape toward World Heritage nomination requires integrated governance, meaningful community participation, equitable benefit-sharing, and adaptive monitoring systems. These elements are essential for strengthening nomination readiness and ensuring the long-term sustainability of heritage tourism.