Potential Development Strategy for Creative Economy-Based Ecotourism on Sumba Island, Indonesia

Since the concept of creative economy-based ecotourism is so extremely rich in economic, social, cultural, and creative values, analyzing its potential and redeveloping it is very pertinent to mainland Sumba. The goal of the study was to ascertain the socioeconomic conditions of the neighborhood in the tourist village and implement a plan for transforming the research area into a tourist destination using an ecotourism strategy based on a creative economy to support the continued existence of tourist areas in the Sumba Plain as well as an economic source for tourism. The data was gathered by conducting in-depth interviews with several organizations involved in the Sumba Island tourism industry and by making observations. SWOT analysis is the method that was employed, which is descriptive-qualitative. The socioeconomic factors that could support the presence of tourists during their activities in the tourism region on Sumba Island have never been identified before, but this study is the first to do so. The findings of this study show that government initiatives are required to raise awareness of the value of nature conservation as the primary instrument for eco-tourism, as well as the necessity for community training programs to teach residents how to prepare local delicacies that are more appealing to tourists.