Marine Tourism Bonanza of the East Salient of Java: Opportunities, Problems and Development Strategies

Abstract

Maritime country is one of the attributespopularly attached to Indonesia because of its great marine potential and extensive waters. This study examines the marine tourisms of the eastern salient of Java,covering the waters of the Madura Strait, Bali Straitand the Indian Ocean. The areas are abundant with marine resources, such as fish, coral reefs, mangrove, and exotic beaches that can be optimally managed as tourism objects. However, the tourism bonanza of the East Java waters obtains only little appreciationespecially from the local communities and not yet become a main source for thepeople’s benefits and welfare. Thiscondition requires optimization efforts so that the potentials of marine tourism canbe realized for creating employment and welfare of the communities. The purposes of thisstudy are to identify and analyze problems in the maritime tourism sector in the EastSalient of Java, as well as to think of ways to change the problems encountered andtransform them into profit opportunities, so that they are in line with the Indonesia’s blue economy program.