Opportunities and Challenges of Sustainable Development Communication in Tourism Villages: A Case Study of Aceh Province

Abstract

Tourism villages in Indonesia have begun to develop and need to be managed carefully. Opportunities and challenges must be identified well. Referring to the theory of development communication and diffusion of innovation, this research aims to identify opportunities and challenges for village community-based sustainable tourism development in three tourist villages in Aceh Province. This research uses interviews with stakeholders and observations of village communities and tourism assets owned by the three tourist villages. The research results show that the three tourist villages studied have excellent potential with diverse tourism assets as an opportunity to attract visiting tourists supported by supportive local government policies and the friendliness of the village community. However, the lack of trained human resources and inadequate management capacity are potential obstacles to the progress of tourism village development. Therefore, this article provides several recommendations for continuing the sustainable development of tourist villages in Aceh Province.