Be 'Literate' about Beach Tourism and Its Problems

By Kresensia Risna Efrieno.          

Hi, have you visited any tourist spots in Yogyakarta? Beach? Mountain? Don't you know that Gunungkidul Regency has extraordinary tourist potencies in Yogyakarta with a variety of tourist sites that can be visited, from the hills to the coast? At least sixty beaches are in Gunungkidul from Ngunggah in the west to Krokoh in the east. One of the beaches is Krakal Beach. It is located in Ngestirejo Village, Tanjungsari, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta with an area of 150 ha. Krakal Beach has the uniqueness of large black rocks like a path above sea level combined with white sand. It is attractive for tourists to visit, right?

Is the existence of a tourist area only for its beauty? Is there anything else we need to find out? The emergence of tourist attractions presents a 'domino effect' of changes in natural conditions, the people's economy, and culture. The other side that we need to look at is the challenge of damage threat, in contrast to some of the things above.

Students certainly know that the emergence of tourist attractions brings two sides, benefits and problems. Stube HEMAT Yogyakarta as a student assistance organization invited students to see the reality by visiting Krakal Beach, Gunungkidul in the Marine Economics program (Saturday, 04/02/2023). The study visit is an additional knowledge and experience for students to be 'literate' about the existence of tourist attractions and the problems that follow.

The students divided themselves into four small groups to study different observation focuses by exploring information freely, both through interviews and by looking at the beach situation. Group one mapped out the economic opportunities on Krakal Beach. Based on interviews with several traders revealed that weekends are busier because tourists can camp on the beach and so traders have the opportunity to sell unique souvenirs, such as key chains made of shells and agate. Group two shared the results of interviews with traders as well as the involvement of the local community in the economic activity on the Krakal coast. It was encouraging because it was revealed that most of the traders on Krakal Beach were local people. This means that the existence of Krakal beach tourism brings prosperity to the surrounding community. The third group found piles of unmanaged trash in several corners of the beach, disrupting the beach panorama. This should be a serious concern for the manager to maintain the attractiveness of the beach for tourists in terms of cleanliness. Meanwhile, the last group explored information about the concern of the community, government, and coastal managers to develop coastal areas and improve people's welfare.

The study visit to Krakal beach opened participants' insights to be more sensitive to the realities of Indonesia's coastal and marine areas, as said by Andre, a theology student of STAK Marturia, "Through the study visit to Krakal beach, I discovered something new because I could not find it in my area, Lubuk Linggau. Here, the community utilizes coastal resources as a livelihood, produces innovative souvenirs from the sea, and creates job opportunities as a photographer. However, I also found a lack of concern for maintaining the beach.”

The existence of coastal tourist attractions requires big responsibility from stakeholders to maintain their sustainability. Students need to be actively involved in caring for and campaigning for the importance of the existence of sustainable tourist attractions that bring prosperity to humans and the environment. ***