Sustainable Tourism Communication Strategies in Mainstream Media: A Qualitative Study of the Representation of Umbul Ponggok as an Environmentally Friendly Destination

Abstract

Umbul Ponggok is a natural spring–based tourist destination developed through a village-managed governance model and widely recognized as a successful example of community-based tourism. Its transformation from a local water source into a popular tourist attraction has reshaped the village’s economy while generating narratives of environmental responsibility, water conservation, and community empowerment. In this context, mainstream media play a strategic role in constructing the image and legitimacy of Umbul Ponggok as a sustainable tourism destination. Departing from the view that media function not only as channels of information but also as arenas for the production of meaning and power relations, this study analyzes sustainable tourism communication strategies represented in mainstream media coverage of Umbul Ponggok. The analysis focuses on how environmental sustainability, social empowerment, and economic success are framed, negotiated, and legitimized within media discourse. Theoretically, this research integrates perspectives from strategic communication, environmental communication, framing theory, and the political economy of media to uncover narrative structures and underlying interests shaping this constructed reality. Using a qualitative approach, the study employs critical discourse analysis of news texts from national and regional mainstream media within a selected timeframe. Data are analyzed through thematic coding, discourse structure identification, and interpretation of ideology and power relations embedded in the texts. This study contributes to scholarship on sustainable tourism communication by positioning the media as strategic actors in shaping social legitimacy around destination management practices. Practically, the findings are expected to support more reflective, ethical, and sustainability-oriented communication strategies aligned with responsible management practices and local community well-being.