Marine Tourism Sustainability Strategy with Triple Helix Support: A Case Study of West Sulawesi Marine Tourism

The tourism sector is one of the sectors that has been severely affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially marine tourism in Indonesia. In this work, a case study of marine tourism in the West Sulawesi region of Indonesia was used to conduct a qualitative reanalysis which raises concerns about the sustainability of existing tourism in the area. This study, in general, aims to get answers on tourism sustainability strategies in areas that prioritize marine tourism as their main income, using a case study of marine tourism in the West Sulawesi region of Indonesia. The strategy was obtained based on the results of observations and qualitative conclusions of interviews with stakeholders within the scope of the marine tourism area. This research uses a qualitative method with deep interview techniques processed by inductive means. Several people were selected in this interview process, in accordance with the concept of the triple helix, which is a model that combines three elements represented by government, academics and industry players. Based on the results of interviews and analyses, several conclusions can be drawn, including; marine tourism management requires strong cooperation and collaboration from the government, local residents, and tourism industry players and is supported by academics; it also requires a strong commitment not only from increasing tourist visits but also nature conservation efforts in order to ensure the sustainability of the industry, and it requires a strong commitment not only from increasing tourist visits but also nature conservation efforts in order to ensure the sustainability of the tourism industry, and lastly, a sustainable marine tourism business necessitates a comprehensive and coordinated plan, as well as the strong support and dedication of all the linked triple helix parts so that these three factors can serve as the foundation for a complete marine tourist sector strategy.