Sustainable Ecotourism Development based on Participatory Rural Appraisal: A Case Study of Thekelan Village, Central Java, Indonesia

Thekelan Village, Kopeng District has a special potency of ecotourism. Thekelan Village is located at an altitude of + 2000 masl with magnificent scenery and surrounded by protected forest areas. The social characteristics of the community are homogeneous, distinctive, and strong highland culture. Thekelan Village has annually received visits from universities and schools for both comparative study and live-in programs. However, the sustainability of the tourism needed to be evaluated since the community has not participated much in the tourism activity (just lodging and communication). Indicators were established to evaluate the sustainability of existing tourism in Thekelan Village. Moreover, a survey, in-depth interview, and focus group discussion have been conducted to the community to assess the readiness to develop sustainable ecotourism. The results showed that the existing tourism has failed to be sustainable. Nevertheless, the community are ready to implement a new program to improve the management of community participation in the rural tourism setting. Therefore, a sustainable ecotourism can be developed and bring more economic benefits to the local people.