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ASEAN Journal of Community

Engagement

Volume 7 Article 9
Number 1 July 2023

7-29-2023

The Role of Community Empowerment in the Development of a


Marketing Communication Strategy for Kembang Kuning Tourism
Village
Dian Purworini
Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia, dian.purworini@ums.ac.id

Rona R. B. Chasana
Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia, rrb608@ums.ac.id

See next page for additional authors

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Recommended Citation
Purworini, Dian; Chasana, Rona R. B.; Palupi, Palupi; Setyawan, Sidiq; Triyono, Agus; and Yuwono,
Iswahyudi T. (2023). The Role of Community Empowerment in the Development of a Marketing
Communication Strategy for Kembang Kuning Tourism Village. ASEAN Journal of Community
Engagement, 7(1), 113-126.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.7454/ajce.v7i7.1193

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ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement
ISSN: 2581-0030 / E-ISSN: 2580-9563
https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/ajce/
Page. 113–126

The Role of Community Empowerment


in the Development of a Marketing Communication Strategy
for Kembang Kuning Tourism Village

Dian Purworini,1* Rona Rizkhy Bunga Chasana,1 Palupi Palupi,1 Sidiq Setyawan,1
Agus Triyono,1 Iswahyudi Tejo Yuwono1

Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta, Indonesia


1

*Correspondence email: dian.purworini@ums.ac.id


Received: August 20, 2022, Accepted: June 21, 2023

Abstract This study examines initiatives intended to enhance community empowerment in the
tourism village of Kembang Kuning, Central Java, Indonesia. One problem facing this
community is an inability to carry out effective promotion to realize the tourism potential
of the village. Despite the Kembang Kuning village’s potential qualities for tourism,
there is a lack of local knowledge about marketing and communication strategies. The
lack has hindered efforts to make the village known nationally. This study seeks to
raise awareness and understanding of promotion strategies and simultaneously develop
marketing communication strategies through active participation by the village tourism
management team. Qualitative methods were employed in this study, and information was
gathered through field observations, interviews, documentation, and active participation.
This study found that in Kembang Kuning tourism village, community empowerment and
tourism development when combined with a promotion and marketing communication
strategy, have the potential to increase the village’s tourism potential.

Keywords: community empowerment; marketing communication; promotion strategy; tourism


village; Kembang Kuning Village

1. Introduction

The tourism industry is highly vulnerable to various large-scale disasters, such as


terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and viral pandemics (Yang & Zhu, 2021). In 2020, the
COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on various sectors of the global economy,
including tourism. The implementation of social restrictions not only decreased tourist
traffic but also led to a decline in income for tourism-related companies and workers;
some tourist destinations even experienced temporary shutdowns.

In Indonesia, efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on tourism villages have been
inadequate. The Central Java Youth, Sports, and Tourism Agency reported that as of
February 2021, 20 out of 690 registered tourist destinations remained closed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic (Ajiyanto, 2019). Similarly, Kembang Kuning village and several
other tourism villages have not fully recovered from the crisis caused by the pandemic.
Despite possessing considerable tourism potential, the village faces numerous obstacles
in promoting itself as a tourist destination and improving its economy and community.

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To revive the tourism industry, the Indonesian Government has been implementing
programs meant to encourage innovation, creation, and collaboration between various
groups to enhance tourism management. It helps local communities adapt to the pandemic
and the so-called ‘new normal.’ Previous research on community empowerment in tourism
development in Kampung Kopi Gombengsari, Indonesia, classified the actors in the tourism
industry into the following five categories: the government, private sector, local community,
academics, and the media (Hernanda et al., 2018). This five-actor classification model is
considered suitable for improving the governance ecosystems of tourism destinations and
fostering innovation and entrepreneurship through collaborative efforts. It aims to generate
quality tourism activities and services that benefit local communities.

Village community members, who serve as tourism actors, lack sufficient understanding
regarding marketing promotion and communication. Therefore, they require support
from relevant parties to enhance their abilities and resources. Collaborations between
tourism actors and other stakeholders will empower community members to innovate
and be creative. It enables them to adapt to the previous pandemic and the new normal, as
mandated by the government.

Empowerment is defined as enabling individuals or groups to gain control over their


lives and work collectively. According to Laverack (2006), empowerment is obtained by
those who seek it and cannot be bestowed by others. Numerous studies have emphasized
the importance of community empowerment for tourism development. The objective of
tourism development is to improve the economy of the tourist village and the surrounding
region (Nila & Sari, 2020). To advance tourism development, village community members
should collaborate with practitioners, government entities, and academics to create an
empowering environment.

Community empowerment, which is an essential component of community development


(Laverack, 2006), involves individuals with shared interests coming together to build
their collective strength. Community empowerment can address structural, social, and
economic challenges, with practitioners and other actors helping each other generate
power through capacity building. Community capacity building requires engaging
residents who hold collective aspirations to make decisions and implement programs.
Active, empowered, sustainable, and capable community members can transform their
own lives and improve their living environments (Zubaedi, 2013). Efforts to encourage
community empowerment often follow a bottom-up development approach that empowers
local communities, such as the community-based tourism approach.

Zimmerman (1995) distinguishes between the process and outcome of empowerment.


The empowerment process involves individuals learning to control their destinies,
obtaining access, and gaining control over their lives. Professionals play a key role in
empowering others by involving residents in the development, implementation, and
evaluation of projects; developing an environmental identity by becoming part of the
community; treating community members as equal partners; and creating opportunities for
community members to develop their skills and reduce their dependence on professionals.
Empowerment outcomes refer to the effects of interventions and the investigation of the
empowerment processes and related mechanisms. Simply put, outcomes are a consequence
of the empowerment process.

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To assess the outcomes of empowerment, the concept of empowerment and the related
stages that influence community empowerment should be defined. These stages—which
include planning, implementation, and evaluation—guide community development
practitioners throughout the empowerment process. Laverack (2006) has identified nine
steps central to community empowerment: improving participation, developing local
leadership, enhancing problem assessment capacities, cultivating critical thinking skills,
building empowering organizational structures, mobilizing resources, strengthening
connections with other organizations, establishing equitable relationships with external
agents, and increasing control over program management.

This research examines initiatives intended to enhance community empowerment in the


tourism village of Kembang Kuning in Indonesia. It is crucial to understand how tourism
villages can recover from a crisis, such as the pandemic, and adapt to the new situation
through community empowerment. The development of tourism villages plays a pivotal
role in the growth of local economies (Yang & Zhu, 2021). According to Agustang et al.
(2021), agents and structures serve crucial roles in society. Community empowerment for
the development of tourism villages requires coordinated efforts by local stakeholders.
Therefore, it is anticipated that this study will significantly contribute to advancing
community empowerment in tourism villages.

2. Kembang Kuning Village as a Context of Study

Kembang Kuning is located in Cepogo, Boyolali, Central Java, at an altitude of 1,000 to


1,300 meters above sea level. The village has many unique customs and features that can
support the development of a tourism village. The village contains several heritage sites
that could be developed into historical tourist destinations. Approximately 400 residents
of Kembang Kuning work as craftspeople producing aluminum souvenirs. Additionally,
female villagers who are members of Pemberdayaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK;
a family empowerment and welfare organization) run microbusinesses producing such
products as anchovy chips and sagon (dried coconut crackers). Village residents have
also organized several festivals, such as the Kampung Edukasi Festival, which offers
festivalgoers the opportunity to learn Javanese etiquette and play traditional games
(known as dolanan); the festival also hosts cultural events, including performances of
the traditional Indonesian dances reog, gambyong, and roadat, and traditional drum
performances. Visitors are also able to eat ketoprak, an Indonesian vegetarian dish.

In mid-April 2016, Kembang Kuning tourism village was introduced to the public with the
opening of Sitinggil Garden. The Sitinggil Garden, which was funded locally, covers an area
of 2.5 hectares and contains a 2,000-square-meter pond. Upon opening, it initially attracted
approximately 500 visitors per day on holidays (Zuraya, 2021). At first, it was anticipated
that the garden would contribute significantly to the promotion of Kembang Kuning tourism
village. However, these expectations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents of Kembang Kuning have been actively involved in the development of the
tourist village, and this study seeks to highlight their contributions as local community
members and tourism actors. This study also strives to contribute to the development
of the village’s tourism potential by developing marketing communication strategies. In

https://doi.org/10.7454/ajce.v7i1.1193 115
this context, training sessions were conducted to provide opportunities for residents to
develop their tourism promotion and marketing skills.

This research project, which focuses on community empowerment within Kembang


Kuning village, was carried out by a team from the Department of Communication
Studies at the Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia. This research becomes
a part of the community empowerment initiative directed by the Pengabdian Masyarakat
Persyarikatan/Desa Binaan (P2AD) program.

Based on discussions with residents of Kembang Kuning conducted from July 2021 to
August 2021, this study identified several significant problems hindering the recovery of the
tourism village after the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) a lack of common understanding among
village stakeholders regarding the concept of a tourist village; (2) insufficient understanding
of tourism village marketing and management; (3) a lack of skills among community
members for producing promotional content, both in print and audio-visual formats; and (4)
a lack of competence among tourism actors in planning and executing promotional events,
particularly online events. These problems are visualized in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Problem identification

On this basis, this study presents the following research questions: 1) How has the
team from the Department of Communication Studies sought to enhance community
empowerment carried in Kembang Kuning as part of the P2AD program? 2) How has
the team helped community members of Kembang Kuning enhance their marketing and
promotional skills to facilitate the development of a local tourist village?

This study aims to enhance the understanding of promotional strategies and encourage the
active participation of community members in the management of tourism villages and the
development of marketing communication strategies. The training provided as part of this
study is meant to enable village community members to effectively promote their tourism
village to a broader audience using suitable concepts. By applying Laverack’s (2006)
steps for community empowerment, the study will determine whether the community
now possesses the intellectual ability to engage in innovation or whether they are still at
the awareness stage, which involves exhibiting conscious behavior toward local potential.

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3. Methods

In contrast to the findings of Hernanda et al. (2018), the Kembang Kuning tourism
village was supported by three pillars during its early stages of development. These
three pillars were the government, which officially designated the location as a tourist
destination; the community, which includes a tourism awareness group known as
Pokdarwis, a youth organization known as Karang Taruna, and related villagers; as well
as the academics from university, who partnered with the tourism village as part of a
collaborative community service initiative. However, media has not been effectively used
as a marketing and promotional tool, and therefore, media utilization among tourism
villages requires further scrutiny.

Community service initiatives were carried out from November 2021 to August 2022.
These initiatives began with observations of the community and visits to the village.
The P2AD team conducted observations at several potential tourism locations in the
Kembang Kuning tourism village, including Sitinggil Park, an aluminum crafts center,
a milk center, and a traditional children’s games center, and collected data about the
conditions at each tourism location.

After collecting data and preliminary assessments on the condition of Kembang Kuning
Village, several educational activities were developed. The first educational activity was
the basic photography and cinematography workshop for the Karang Taruna and the
second activity was a training session on creating Segmenting, Targeting, Positioning
(STP) strategy. These activities were followed by focus group discussions (FGDs) attended
by the villagers and lastly, the training and mentoring activity related to creating audio-
visual promotional content by the community.

The first educational activity was a class on basic photography and cinematography held
on December 16, 2021, in the multipurpose room of Kembang Kuning Village Hall. The
event was attended by representatives of Karang Taruna, a youth organization in the village
that was responsible for overseeing the promotion of and content development for the
Kembang Kuning tourism village. The training session began with a presentation on basic
techniques for composing a photograph. The second part of the training session included
basic tips and tricks for how to take photographs with a smartphone and discussed how to
edit videos using smartphone applications.

Next, a training session on STP strategy creation was held. This session included
the urban village head (known as the lurah), the urban village secretary (known as
the carik), Karang Taruna representatives, PKK members, and other residents who
volunteered to help with the development of the tourism village. The training focused
on marketing communication strategies, such as selecting unique colors to represent the
village, crafting promotional slogans, and brainstorming tourism activities that could be
promoted to potential visitors.

This STP preparation also involved FGDs to further explore social issues related to the
development of the Kembang Kuning tourism village. These FGDs also allowed the
facilitators to observe group dynamics and gather information on nonverbal cues that

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were observed during the activity. The FGDs lasted for approximately one hour, and both
audio and video documentation was taken.

The last service activity involved training and mentoring community members on creating
audio-visual promotional content. The participants were representatives of Karang
Taruna, an adaptive group involved in developing promotional media. The participants
were trained in how to independently create promotional media content, including pre-
production, production, and post-production stages.

4. Results and Discussion

This study sheds light on the challenges encountered by tourism village stakeholders and
proposes relevant recommendations. The findings of this study suggest that stakeholders
should prioritize inter-stakeholder group collaboration, participatory decision-making,
sharing of responsibilities and benefits, and the establishment of institutional structures
to enable the sustainable operations of community governance. Table 1 provides a
comparison of the conditions before and after the implementation of the P2AD activities.

Table 1. Comparison of situations before and after the implementation of P2AD activities
Before After
Development The development of the tourism village Tourism villages based on local
of tourism based on the wealth, culture, and nature knowledge can be promoted more
village of Kembang Kuning tourism village has widely to progress toward the ultimate
potential faced challenges due to the following objective of this initiative. It may be
based on local reasons: possible to achieve the following three
knowledge goals if P2AD activities were to be
(i) There was no common
carried out:
understanding among village
stakeholders about the concept of a (i) The village stakeholders understand
tourism village. the concept of a tourism village and
(ii) The tourism actors of the village agree on the potential of the village.
lacked an understanding of tourism (ii) The village stakeholders are now
marketing management and able to develop and prepare the
communication. concept of cultural events.
(iii) There was a low collective (iii) The village stakeholders can carry
awareness of the villagers to out promotional activities on a
develop the potential of the village. larger scale by using promotional
(iv) There was no mascot or promotional content.
video, which might help with the (iv) The village has a mascot and a
promotional activity. promotional video.

The framework of sustainable tourism, as established by the World Tourism Organization


(Department of Economic and Social Affairs & Sustainable Development, n.d.), states
that sustainable tourism development requires participation by all relevant stakeholders.
It also requires strong political leadership, to ensure broad participation and consensus
building (Agustang et al., 2021).

Based on the results of interviews and observations conducted at Kembang Kuning tourism
village, it was found that the village already possessed a dedicated team responsible for
managing tourism activities. This team consisted of village officials and representatives

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from the local community. The head of the village also actively supported and encouraged
the management team.

A study conducted by Putri et al. (2020) on the tourism village of Batu Karas revealed
that community empowerment and development in the tourism sector can have a positive
impact on the local economies of tourism villages, particularly when supported by
local governments and relevant stakeholders. These findings support the results of the
community service project conducted in Kembang Kuning, which found that collaboration
between the community and government can yield more favorable outcomes for village
tourism initiatives.

Stakeholders often prioritize the accessibility of facilities for villagers; however, it is


important to recognize that villagers’ ambivalence regarding involvement may be linked
to their limited knowledge of tourism. Therefore, policymakers should provide educational
materials and organize meetings to raise awareness among villagers about the positive
and negative impacts of tourism on the community. This approach could help motivate
villagers to become more actively involved in tourism promotion (Joo et al., 2020).

To address this issue, the village head, in collaboration with the management team,
could design a series of meetings aimed at emphasizing the importance of promotional
and marketing communication strategies to the management team of Kembang Kuning
tourism village. It is recommended that these meetings be conducted continuously and
involve the wider community.

Figure 2. Marketing strategy developed for Kembang Kuning Village tourism

Discussions with the management team highlighted the unique aspects of the village that
have the potential to attract tourists. On this basis, a promotional strategy was formulated
to be presented to the public (Figure 2). Despite the humble village infrastructure and
facilities, the development process was carried out continuously and sustainably. Kembang
Kuning tourism village possesses various local attractions that give it a strong tourism
potential. With the active support and participation of villagers and the local government,
they succeeded in developing a tourism village that involved the community in developing
funding schemes and brainstorming ideas (Figure 3).

An analysis of previous promotions revealed that many tourists have already visited
Kembang Kuning; however, tourist numbers have fluctuated over time. If the tourism village
management team implements the marketing communication strategies that they learned

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in training sessions, it can be anticipated that they will be able to continually implement
promotional campaigns, which will further improve the welfare of the community.

Figure 3. Part of the workshops: (a) SWOT & STP training; (b) Photography training; (c) STP
formulation workshop; and (d) Part of promotion tools

One important aspect of the P2AD initiative was incorporating information technologies,
particularly the Internet and social media, into existing village management approaches.
This was crucial because technological innovation can unite all stakeholders in the tourism
service ecosystem, ultimately transforming service innovation, strategy, management,
marketing, and competitiveness (Buhalis, 2020). The village management team stated that
they were using Instagram for promotion. However, despite having thousands of followers,

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they mostly reposted content from visitors and did not use the account to actively promote
the village as a tourist destination.

Semerádová and Vávrová (2016) state that tourism promotion is increasingly trending
toward more personal marketing strategies that emphasize the convenience of accessing
information and making reservations. Indeed, many tourists are seeking comfort and
pleasure when they travel. Therefore, when travelers experience discomfort while
traveling to their destination, they may consider not returning to that travel destination.
The FGDs revealed that the target psychographic demographic was tourists seeking
additional knowledge and direct experiences. Hence, providing a pleasant experience
from the beginning of the process to attract visitors is crucial.

The analysis carried out by the management team determined that Kembang Kuning
possesses several unique characteristics. For example, the village is home to 400
craftspeople who produce aluminum kitchen implements. It also features gardens,
including fruit gardens, ponds, and flower gardens; swimming pools; agro-tourism
attractions; micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises; a kitchen where PKK members
produce snacks and cakes; a children’s education village, which features a history museum,
traditional dolanan, and ungguh-ungguh; farms with cattle, goats, and a milking center;
and heritage sites. The village also hosts many cultural events, such as performances of the
traditional dances rodat, reog, ketoprak, and gambyong, traditional drum performances,
and the tradition of Sadranan. Therefore, this village possesses characteristics that can be
developed into a complete and unique tourist village.

Research conducted by Widiastuti and Mihardja (2019) on the tourism village of Dieng,
Indonesia, revealed that the agricultural traditions of Dieng residents have the potential
to support village-based agro-tourism. Indeed, trails for tourists could be constructed
across the village so that visitors can observe villagers’ daily activities. This approach
could also be adopted in Kembang Kuning as well, enabling visitors to witness such
community activities as milking, cooking sagon snacks, and more.

These findings are consistent with the results of previous studies. Therefore, tourism
management teams should carefully analyze the cultural characteristics of target
consumers before determining which media to use for promotion. Research conducted
by John and De’Villiers (2020) shows that YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the
most popular media platforms among international students who travel. Thus, these
platforms would be the most effective for reaching visitors. Amin and Priansah (2019)
arrived at similar results, finding that the marketing communication strategy of the
Youth, Sports, and Tourism Agency increased the tourism potential of Palutungan Putri
Waterfall, Indonesia, through promotional initiatives that included banners, newspapers
advertisements, online media promotion, and radio.

The results of the discussion also highlighted the need to use influencers to motivate
tourists to visit Kembang Kuning. The key here is not necessarily gaining access to the
most expensive influencers but rather selecting influencers who can effectively draw
attention to Kembang Kuning for a reasonable fee. Using social media proved to be more
effective than advertising on TV or other mass mediums, and it influenced the tourism
planning process (Park et al., 2018; Pop et al., 2021).

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Within Kembang Kuning tourism village, community empowerment was enhanced
through coordination and integration between the village’s local government and
community representatives. During this process, there was an emphasis on the principles
of participation and transparency, as well as the need to reflect the uniqueness of the
socio-cultural values of villagers. The village local government contributed to helping
villagers become more efficient and independent by providing support and instituting
various village regulations that promoted community tourism efforts.

Youth, PKK members, and adults, in collaboration with the village organizations,
also contributed as representatives of the tourism village management team. Indeed,
villagers were actively involved in this process. Villagers received funds from the
village and were taught how to enhance the competitive advantage of the village by
marketing their potential.

The various tourist attractions are managed by the villagers, ensuring that their daily
activities are not disturbed. Moreover, some of their daily activities have been promoted as
tourist attractions. Thus, it is expected that tourism in the village will remain sustainable
and will serve as a source of income for villagers.

According to Agustang et al. (2021), agents and structures serve crucial roles in society.
The term agent refers to individuals involved in tourism, while the term structure refers
to the various regulations governing the implementation of the tourist village (Agustang
et al., 2021). In Kembang Kuning, the managers of the tourist village act as the agents,
and the various regulations governing the implementation of the tourist village serve as
the structures.

The study makes it clear that the concept of community empowerment has been applied
to Kembang Kuning tourism village. Various community empowerment programs have
been carried out by the village’s local government, and villagers have been actively
included in decision-making. The collaboration between villagers and the village
government is an important factor in supporting villagers to become financially
independent through tourism.

Empowerment starts at the individual level and progresses toward collective empowerment.
Knowledge related to community tourism is needed to transform empowerment into an
active movement (Joo et al., 2020). The information that was gathered indicates that this is
also occurring in Kembang Kuning village, where the main drivers are the secretary of the
sub-urban village (carik) and village representatives, who are highly dedicated to building
their village, thus influencing the community to focus on developing its tourism potential.

Villagers were eager to participate in the various activities offered by the research team.
They were involved in various tourism activities and played a key role in the tourism
service. The true impact of this program can be seen in the improved infrastructure and
facilities of the village. This, in turn, has generated additional income for villagers, created
various opportunities for cooperation, imbued pride in villagers, and enhanced the bond
between villagers and the village’s local government. As promotional efforts improve, it
is anticipated that these positive developments will continue.

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Government initiatives to develop tourist villages are aimed at providing rural villages
with various resources to improve their welfare (“Keputusan Menteri”, 2021). The
descriptions of the roles of villagers and the local government provided in the regulations
clarify that both parties are aware of tourism initiatives and agree to contribute to tourism
development. Village governments have also become involved in various collaborations
with universities, which have received a positive response.

5. Conclusion

The primary objective of this community initiative was to assist in the development of
marketing communication strategies for tourism villages. Following the initial observation,
several steps were taken, including conducting a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats analysis; providing training in basic photography and cinematography; organizing
FGDs in accordance with a segmenting, targeting, and positioning (STP) approach; and
offering training in the creation of audio-visual content for promotional purposes.

Based on the study above, it can be concluded that while promoting tourism is important, it
is also crucial to ensure the sustainability and resilience of the sector. The implementation
of marketing communication strategies has already begun to produce positive impacts.
Activists have gained a better understanding of these strategies and are now capable
of implementing them confidently while adapting to various situations. As a result, an
increasing number of people are becoming interested in visiting tourist villages. This
increase in tourist traffic is expected to boost revenue, enhance visitor satisfaction, and
lead to further word-of-mouth promotion.

Additionally, village governments need to maintain stable relationships with residents


and other partners, ensuring transparency in their village development program. This
will allow residents to feel that they are being supported, and it will make them confident
in their village’s progress.

This study adopted the framework of community empowerment theory, which is widely
recognized in various tourism development contexts. In this regard, the findings of this
study provide empirical support for the notion that the successful promotion of tourism
villages requires the active participation of both residents and village governments.
Although the study revealed a lack of knowledge among tourism village managers
regarding effective promotion strategies, the positive impact resulting from collaborations
with universities and other relevant institutions indicates that there is great potential for
the development of tourist villages.

Author Contribution
Dian Purworini conceptualized, established methodology, did the formal analysis, and
wrote the manuscript, particularly in the preparation of the original draft. Rona Rizkhy
Bunga Chasana contributed to the methodology, investigation, edited and made the
revisions of the paper. Palupi validated the methodology, edited and revised the paper.
Iswahyudi Tejo Yuwono was responsible for resources. Sidiq Setyawan and Agus Triyono
contributed to the data curation.

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Acknowledgment
This paper would not have been possible without positive participation of amazing
people. We would like to thank lurah, carik, and all the management of Kembang
Kuning village tourism.

Funding
The funding for this research was provided by a research grant from Universitas
Muhammadiyah Surakarta (P2AD Project).

Declaration of Conflicting Interest


The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Author Biography
Dian Purworini is a lecturer at the Communication Science Study Program, Faculty
of Communication and Informatics, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta,
Central Java, Indonesia. She received a doctoral degree in Doctoral Communication Study
Program, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Padjadjaran University. She is also a chief
editor for Komuniti: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Teknologi Informasi. She was a secretary
and researcher at the Social Informatics Research Center, Faculty of Communication and
Informatics, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta. She has been involved in several
researches in the field of crisis communication. Crisis communication is her main interest,
including marketing communication, and social media analysis. (https://orcid.org/0000-
0003-1632-5582)

Rona Rizkhy Bunga Chasana is a junior lecturer of the Department of Communication


Science, Faculty of Communication and Informatics, Universitas Muhammadiyah
Surakarta, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. She earned a Master of Art from the
Postgraduate Program of Communication Science at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). She
also works as researcher at Social Informatics Research Center, Faculty of Communication
and Informatics Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta. Her current research interests

https://doi.org/10.7454/ajce.v7i1.1193 125
are risk reputation management, social media analysis, and public opinion. (https://orcid.
org/0000-0002-4846-5427)

Palupi is a lecturer at the Department of Communication Science, Universitas


Muhammadiyah Surakarta. Her research interests are interpersonal communication and
CMC. She has been serving community in digital literacy and effective communication
among parents, youths, and teachers.

Sidiq Setyawan is a lecturer at the Communication Science Study Program, Faculty


of Communication and Informatics, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta,
Central Java, Indonesia. He received a Master of Communication Science from the
Postgraduate Program of Communication Management at Universitas Sebelas Maret
(UNS). He has been involved in several researches in the field of social innovation,
photography, and communication technology. Communication technology and society is
his main interest, including game studies. He has been serving the community in digital
literacy and product photography. (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3832-732X)

Agus Triyono is a lecturer at the Department of Communication Science Universitas


Muhammadiyah Surakarta. He received a Master of Communication Science from
Universitas Indonesia.

Iswahyudi Tejo Yuwono is a lecturer at the Department of Communication Science,


Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta. He received his master degree from Institut Seni
Indonesia, Surakarta. (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1150-6141)

https://doi.org/10.7454/ajce.v7i1.1193 126

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