Bringing Environmental State Back In: Menakar Sentralitas Peran Pemerintah dalam Kemitraan Multipihak untuk Pembangunan Pariwisata Berkelanjutan Pasca Covid-19 (Studi Kasus Wakatobi)

Abstract

The G20 Indonesia presidency has designated tourism as one priority sectors in the post-Covid-19 economic recovery program. Before the global Covid-19 pandemic occurred, tourism was a mainstay sector in national and global economic growth. This article discusses the centrality of the state's role in promoting sustainable tourism development. This article uses a single case study method, observation, and interviews. The analysis uses Environmental-State perspective to analyze strategic role of the state in promoting sustainability norms in tourism sector. The conclusion shows that state plays a very important role in directing and determining sustainable process in tourism development in Wakatobi. There are three state modalities that are not owned by other actors, namely: formal legal authority, sustainable budgeting, and bureaucratic networks. Therefore, the country's leadership as an "environmental state" with a strong vision and commitment to sustainability will be crucial to the success of sustainable tourism development.