Disharmony of Actor Relations in Development of The Tambaknegara Emerging Tourism Village, Banyumas Regency

Abstract

This study aims to describe the origins of this actor-relationship disharmony, identify the actors involved, and uncover the contextual factors driving it within the development of the Tambaknegara Emerging Tourism Village in Banyumas Regency. The study employs a qualitative method using a case study approach, a non-positivist paradigm (specifically constructivism), and a structuralist perspective. Data collection involved in-depth interviews with the management and administrators of the Tambaknegara Tourism Village, direct field observation of physical conditions and tourism activities, and a review of relevant documents. Data analysis followed the interactive model developed by Miles and Huberman, with validity reinforced through method triangulation. Data collection was carried out using various methods, such as interviews, observation, and document analysis, to obtain credible and relevant information. Secondly, data reduction is the process of summarizing the data obtained, focusing on key aspects based on the research subject, and categorizing the data from field notes, interviews, and documentation. Thirdly, data presentation is the process of organizing the information gathered in qualitative research with the aim of facilitating the drawing of conclusions. Fourthly, drawing conclusions and verification is the stage at which the researcher draws conclusions from the data obtained; if there are any gaps in the data, the researcher returns to the field to gather the missing data. The results indicate that the key actors involved include the village government, the Youth, Sports, Culture, and Tourism Agency (Dinporabudpar), the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis), Community Groups (Pokmas), the Youth Organization (Karang Taruna), customary leaders, local investors, and the local community. Two prominent forms of disharmony emerged: leadership dualism between the old and new Pokdarwis and a conflict over access to tourism resources between the Pokdarwis and the Youth Organization. These findings confirm that the disharmony is not an isolated issue but the result of cumulative institutional governance failures dating back to the village's initial tourism development phase. These failures stemmed from haphazard problem-solving, such as establishing a new Pokdarwis without revoking the legal status of the old one which created a leadership dualism that was ultimately resolved through political compromise rather than genuine institutional restructuring. This situation is exacerbated by a bottom-up approach lacking adequate guidance, unclear funding schemes following the official designation of the tourism village, and economic motives that fuel competition among stakeholders; consequently, the resulting relationship patterns tend to be informal and personal, leaving them vulnerable to domination by specific actors or the influence of local political interests. The study concludes that the success of an emerging tourism village depends not merely on the availability of natural and cultural assets, but also on the capacity of local actors to establish clear, coordinated, and equitable relationship structures; this offers theoreticals contributions to the study of community-based tourism governance and provides practical guidance for strengthening tourism village institutions in a more effective and sustainable manner. This study applies Michael Hall’s theory of the politics of tourism and Soerjono Soekanto’s theory of actor relations. Hall’s theory is used to examine the political dimensions of tourism development, particularly in relation to the interests, authority, power and influence of the actors involved in the development of the Tambaknegara Tourism Village. Meanwhile, Soekanto’s theory of actor relations is used to examine patterns of inter-actor relationships, including both associative and dissociative forms of interaction. These concepts are applied to analyze how differences in interests, roles, authority and power are manifested in the interactions between the village government, Pokdarwis, Pokmas, youth organizations, the local community and other actors, and how these interactions contribute to disharmony in the relationships between actors in the development of the Tambaknegara Tourism Village.