Collaborative Governance in Developing Wonokitri Tourism Village toward Village Self-Reliance

Abstract

This study analyzes the collaborative governance process in the development of Wonokitri Tourism Village, Tosari District, Pasuruan Regency, and its contribution to tourism village self-reliance. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation involving the village government, the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis), the Tengger customary institution, the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Authority (TNBTS), the Pasuruan Regency Tourism Office, and local business actors, and were analyzed using Miles and Huberman's interactive model. Applying Ansell and Gash's (2008) collaborative governance framework, the findings show that Wonokitri possesses strong starting conditions – a strategic gateway location to Mount Bromo, natural and Tengger cultural assets, and the Edelweiss ecotourism initiative – that have attracted multi-actor involvement from the village government, the village-owned enterprise (BUMDes), Pokdarwis, TNBTS, academics, and the media. Institutional design has developed through BUMDes and Pokdarwis, while facilitative leadership is distributed across the village government, Pokdarwis, and TNBTS rather than concentrated in a single actor. The collaborative process, built through communication, trust, and shared understanding, has produced concrete outcomes such as the Edelweiss attraction, guide capacity-building, and digital promotion. However, self-reliance remains only partially achieved: agriculture still dominates household income, human resource capacity and digital promotion remain limited, and the village still relies on external actors. Wonokitri is therefore best characterized as moving toward, rather than having fully achieved, tourism village self-reliance.