Integration of Ecology-Based Urban Tourism Governance in Teluk Kendari

Abstract

 The development of marine-based urban tourism in Teluk Kendari faces a persistent gap between formal spatial and tourism policies and their implementation at the destination level. This study examines the integration of spatial development, tourism attractions, accessibility, institutional governance, and ecological sustainability to formulate an integrated urban-coastal tourism governance strategy. A qualitative descriptive approach with a descriptive phenomenological orientation was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field observations, focus group discussions, and document analysis involving relevant tourism stakeholders. The qualitative findings were analyzed through thematic interpretation and triangulation, subsequently translated into SWOT–TOWS strategies, and interpreted using the 5A+3S destination framework. The findings show that Kendari possesses strategic geographical advantages, diverse tourism resources, formal policy support, and improving physical accessibility. However, these assets remain functionally fragmented, particularly in attraction management, destination services, interinstitutional coordination, local economic integration, and ecological safeguards. Accessibility and infrastructure have developed more rapidly than destination readiness and environmental management, creating an infrastructure–ecological governance imbalance. The study proposes an Integrated Ecological Urban Tourism Governance Model that positions Teluk Kendari as the principal spatial and institutional unit linking destination components, stakeholder coordination, community participation, local economic activities, and ecosystem protection. The study demonstrates that sustainable urban-coastal tourism depends not merely on infrastructure expansion, but on the institutional capacity to integrate destination development with ecological and socioeconomic priorities.