Managerial Perceptions of Macroeconomic Signals and International Guest Performance in Lake Toba Hotels: Implications for Tourism Destination Development

Authors

  • Dina Rosari Hotel Management Study Program, Politeknik Pariwisata Medan, Indonesia
  • Bejo Mulyadi Hotel Management Study Program (D4), Politeknik Pariwisata Medan, Indonesia
  • Ngatemin Applied Master’s Program in Tourism Planning and Development, Politeknik Pariwisata Medan, Indonesia
  • Julianto Hotel Management Study Program (D4), Politeknik Pariwisata Medan, Indonesia
  • Dewi Yanti Tourism Destination Study Program (D4), Politeknik Pariwisata Medan, Indonesia
  • Liyushiana Tourism Destination Study Program (D4), Politeknik Pariwisata Medan
  • Emrizal Applied Master’s Program in Tourism Planning and Development, Politeknik Pariwisata Medan, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62794/je3s.v7i5.510

Keywords:

Destination Development, Exchange-Rate Conditions, International Guest Performance, Lake Toba, Managerial Perceptions

Abstract

This study examines how Lake Toba hotel managers interpret macroeconomic signals and how these perceptions relate to perceived international guest performance. A cross-sectional survey produced 67 usable hotel-level questionnaires, each completed by a manager or supervisor. Partial least squares structural equation modeling with 5,000 bootstrap subsamples was used to assess six direct paths and two specific indirect paths. Favorable exchange-rate conditions (β = 0.317), price competitiveness (β = 0.354), and destination delivery and attractiveness (β = 0.296) were positively associated with perceived international guest performance. Perceived inflationary pressure (β = −0.294), exchange-rate volatility (β = −0.183), and economic pressure (β = −0.268) showed negative associations. The indirect effects through economic pressure (β = −0.109) and price competitiveness (β = 0.128) were significant; the model explained 68.3% of outcome variance. The findings distinguish an internal operating-pressure pathway from a market-facing price-competitiveness pathway. All measures reflect managerial assessments rather than independently verified hotel or macroeconomic records. Destination-development implications are interpretive, not directly tested effects.

References

Adeleye, B. N., Ogede, J. S., Rabbani, M. R., Adam, L. S., & Mazhar, M. (2022). Moderation analysis of exchange rate, tourism and economic growth in Asia. PLOS ONE, 17(12), e0279937. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279937

Alola, U. V., Usman, O., & Alola, A. A. (2023). Is pass-through of the exchange rate to restaurant and hotel prices asymmetric in the US? Role of monetary policy uncertainty. Financial Innovation, 9, Article 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-022-00425-7

Angelini, G., Costa, M., & Guizzardi, A. (2025). Complex data in tourism analysis: A stochastic approach to price competition. Big Data Research, 40, 100520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bdr.2025.100520

Arici, H. E., & Koseoglu, M. H. (2025). What are the most influential drivers of tourism destination competitiveness? Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 36, 100990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2025.100990

Bank Indonesia. (2026, March 17). BI-Rate held at 4.75%: Maintaining stability, strengthening economic growth. https://www.bi.go.id/en/publikasi/ruang-media/news-release/Pages/sp_286526.aspx

Barus, A. M. (2024). The influence of attractions, facilities, and accessibility on domestic tourists’ decision to visit The Kaldera Toba Nomadic Escape Toba Regency North Sumatra. Jurnal Manajemen Bisnis Eka Prasetya Penelitian Ilmu Manajemen, 10(2), 426–437. https://doi.org/10.47663/jmbep.v10i2.460

Blengini, I., & Heo, C. Y. (2024). The role of exchange rate on hotelier’s pricing decision and business performance: The case of Switzerland, a small open economy. Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 23, 206–216. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41272-023-00461-7

BPS-Statistics Indonesia. (2026a, February 2). The year-on-year headline inflation in January 2026 was recorded at 3.55 percent. https://www.bps.go.id/en/pressrelease/2026/02/02/2540/

BPS-Statistics Indonesia. (2026b, March 2). The year-on-year headline inflation in February 2026 was recorded at 4.76 percent. https://www.bps.go.id/en/pressrelease/2026/03/02/2551/

BPS-Statistics Indonesia. (2026c, April 1). The year-on-year headline inflation in March 2026 was recorded at 3.48 percent. https://www.bps.go.id/en/pressrelease/2026/04/01/2564/

Chen, J., Wu, J., Wang, D., & Stantic, B. (2025). Beyond static rankings: A tourist experience-driven approach to measure destination competitiveness. Tourism Management, 106, 105022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105022

Daft, R. L., & Weick, K. E. (1984). Toward a model of organizations as interpretation systems. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 284–295. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1984.4277657

Demir, E., Gozgor, G., Paramati, S. R., & Ongan, S. (2019). On the relation between exchange rates and tourism demand: A nonlinear and asymmetric analysis. The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, 20, e00123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeca.2019.e00123

Franjić, M., Jagodič, G., Božinovski, B., & Jurakić, M. (2026). Currency conversion effects: Insights into tourist attitudes towards Croatia’s entrance to the euro area. Turyzm/Tourism, 36(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.18778/0867-5856.2026.02

González-Rodríguez, M. R., Díaz-Fernández, M. C., & Pulido-Pavón, N. (2023). Tourist destination competitiveness: An international approach through the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index. Tourism Management Perspectives, 47, 101127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2023.101127

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage.

Handayani, F. (2022). Smart tourism spillover effects: Analysis using an inter-regional input-output model. Jurnal Perencanaan Pembangunan: The Indonesian Journal of Development Planning, 6(2), 216–235. https://doi.org/10.36574/jpp.v6i2.307

Helhel, Y., & Helhel, S. (2026). Global uncertainty and the effectiveness of currency depreciation on tourism demand in G20 economies. Discover Sustainability, 7, Article 1040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-03428-x

Imamboccus, R., Seetanah, B., Nunkoo, R., & Jaffur, Z. K. (2024). The impact of exchange rate and exchange rate volatility on tourism demand using disaggregated data. International Journal of Tourism Research, 26(2), e2640. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2640

Jiao, X., Chen, J. L., Li, G., & Liu, T. (2025). From tourism demand to destination competitiveness: A spatial spillover perspective. Tourism Management, 111, 105236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105236

Kuok, R. U. K., Koo, T. T. R., & Lim, C. (2023). Economic policy uncertainty and international tourism demand: A global vector autoregressive approach. Journal of Travel Research, 62(3), 540–562. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211072551

Lazuardina, A., Amalia G, S., Alif R, Z., & Syafril R, L. (2024). Strategi pengembangan pariwisata Kawasan Danau Toba. Warta Pariwisata, 22(1), 17–22. https://doi.org/10.5614/wpar.2024.22.1.03

Lee, K.-J., & Choi, S.-Y. (2023). A comparative wavelet analysis of the differential sensitivities of leisure and business travel to geopolitical risks and economic policy uncertainty: A study of inbound travel to South Korea. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 55, 202–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.03.021

Menicucci, E., & Paolucci, G. (2025). The effects of economic policy uncertainty on hotel performance: Evidence from the Italian hospitality sector. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 8(11), 19–38. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-04-2024-0386

Mitra, S. K. (2024). Currency conundrum: Unraveling the impact of exchange rates on Nordic hotel pricing, occupancy, and revenue in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 23(5), 449–465. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2024.2379880

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia. (2022). The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy participates in WTM London 2022 to revive the existence and quality of Indonesian tourism. https://www.indonesia.travel/

Mohd Salleh, N. H., Wijijayanti, T., Ahmad, M. F., Winarno, A., & Mafruhah, I. (2026). Tourism demand estimation methods: A systematic literature review. Tourism Review, 81(1), 74–103. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-09-2024-0798

Mulyadi, B., Suhardi, & Pohan, Z. (2022). Pengembangan Kawasan Danau Toba melalui destinasi pariwisata Geopark Kaldera di Kabupaten Tapanuli Utara. Jurnal Akademi Pariwisata Medan, 10(1), 46–65. https://doi.org/10.36983/japm.v10i1.188

Nugroho, A., Verikios, G., Pham, T., & Su, J.-J. (2025). The distributional and spillover impacts of tourism across regions: The case of Indonesia. Tourism Economics, 31(4), 611–630. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548166241275741

Ongan, S., Gocer, I., Işık, C., & Dogru, T. (2026). Measuring tourism uncertainty (TUI). Sustainable Development, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.71156

Ozdemir, O., Erkmen, E., & Han, W. (2023). EPU and financial performance in the hospitality and tourism industry: Moderating effect of CSR, institutional ownership and cash holding. Tourism Management, 98, 104769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104769

Payne, J. E., Nazlioglu, S., & Mervar, A. (2023). Economic policy uncertainty and international tourist arrivals: A disaggregated analysis of the Croatian Adriatic coast. Tourism Economics, 29(4), 986–1004. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548166221078807

Posch, E., Eckert, E., & Thiebes, B. (2024). Towards a future conceptualization of destination resilience: Exploring the role of actors, agency and resilience narratives. Journal of Tourism Futures, 10(3), 461–475. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-10-2022-0270

Primayesa, E., Widodo, W., & Sugiyanto, F. X. (2023). Tourism spatial spillover effect and economic growth in Indonesia. Economy of Regions, 19(4), 1161–1176. https://doi.org/10.17059/ekon.reg.2023-4-16

Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J. M. (2024). SmartPLS 4. SmartPLS. https://www.smartpls.com

Sharma, C., & Khanna, R. (2023). Does global economic policy uncertainty drive tourism demand? A cross-country analysis. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 15(1), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2021.1916510

Sihombing, F. V. B., Suryadi, M. I., & Putra, D. H. A. S. (2024). Transformasi fasilitas pariwisata Kaldera Toba pasca penetapan sebagai UNESCO Global Geopark. Warta Pariwisata, 22(1), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.5614/wpar.2024.22.1.06

Tanjung, R. P., Purwoko, A., Tarigan, J., & Badaruddin. (2024). Analysis of tourism sector development on regional development through road infrastructure in Lake Toba National Tourism Strategic Area in Indonesia. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 12(1), e2174. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v12i1.2174

Tryphone, K., & Mkenda, B. K. (2023). Determinants and constraints of women’s sole-owned tourism micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Tanzania. Development Southern Africa, 40(2), 329–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2022.2028604

Zhao, Q., Xu, P., Wang, B., Wu, S., Wu, M., & Jin, P. (2024). Does location affect the mechanism of tourism competitiveness? Evidence from machine learning analysis. Tourism Management Perspectives, 53, 101291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2024.101291

Downloads

Published

2026-10-30

How to Cite

Rosari, D., Mulyadi, B., Ngatemin, Julianto, Yanti, D., Liyushiana, & Emrizal. (2026). Managerial Perceptions of Macroeconomic Signals and International Guest Performance in Lake Toba Hotels: Implications for Tourism Destination Development. Journal of Economic Education and Entrepreneurship Studies, 7(5), 370–382. https://doi.org/10.62794/je3s.v7i5.510

Issue

Section

Articles