Empowering Local Communities through the Tourism Social Enterprise Approach: A Case Study of Entra Indonesia

抄録

Transforming tourism into a tool to conserve nature and improve community wellbeing requires increased community involvement in the development process. This paper focuses on the role of tourism social enterprises (TSEs), which are expected to engage more comprehensively with local communities than traditional commercial companies. Recognizing that few previous studies have examined how TSEs can engage with local communities, this paper explores the case of a small enterprise, Entra Indonesia, which has endeavored to empower the local community by providing them with education, giving them an opportunity to guide tourists, showing them how to treat tourists, disseminating the value of sustainability, and putting aside 20% of its total revenue for local community development and revitalization. Employing a qualitative research methodology in a single in-depth case study presents rich insights into the ways a tourism social enterprise (TSE) can foster community empowerment. The cultivation of an authentic research relationship with the founder of Entra Indonesia made this study’s observations and in-depth interviews possible. The findings provide practical insights into the ways that small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesian tourism sectors of rural areas might improve their operations by implementing tourism social entrepreneurship elements to empower local communities.