TOURIST CHARACTERISTICS AND ECONOMIC VALUATION OF NATURE TOURISM IN SEBLAT NATURE PARK, NORTH BENGKULU DISTRICT

Abstract

Forests are renewable natural resources that play an important role in controlling the earth's ecosystems, especially in supporting human life and other living organisms. Seblat Nature Park is a conservation area that can be used for recreation and culture. The Seblat Elephant Training Center (PLG) is a form of utilization of the area as the main tourist attraction of the TWA Seblat. The benefits of the resources contained in the TWA Seblat nature tourism do not yet have a market price so that tourists and the public still value it low. Therefore it is necessary to evaluate the benefits of nature tourism in the TWA Seblat to reflect the value of the tourism object. This study aims to determine the characteristics of tourists and the economic value of nature tourism based on travel costs in the Seblat Nature Park. This research was conducted from August to October 2022 at the Seblat Nature Park, North Bengkulu Regency. The number of respondents taken was 45 people, with data collection techniques in the form of interviews. To calculate the economic valuation of natural tourism, the Travel cost method (TCM) is used. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative and quantitative descriptive methods. The characteristics of tourists at TWA Seblat are dominated by visitors aged 17-25 years, history of high school/vocational school education, private sector employees and students, and single status. PLG Seblat is the main tourist destination with a visit motivation for refreshing. Sources of information on the whereabouts of TWA Seblat verbally, arriving with a group of friends using transportation in the form of motorbikes. Visitors at TWA Seblat generally come from within North Bengkulu Regency with a distance of 11-50 km. Visits Distance and access are the main factors that influence visits to TWA Seblat. The economic value of nature tourism in TWA Seblat is Rp. 122,787,408 / year.            

Keyword:  Tourist characteristic, economic valuation, travel cost