Host Community’s Social and Cultural Capital for Ecotourism Development in Indonesia

Department of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Po Box 168, 16680, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Social relationships and interactions that build tourism resources and products are critical to the satisfaction of tourists. This article described that social capital within the host community living around a tourism destination that influenced the ecotourism development in that specific site. The host community’s social capital was also influenced by the community’s cultural capital. The elements of the social system that had to be considered in West Java community were interpersonal trust in sentimental elements and norms. However, the research conducted by Baksh et al (2013) at Tambak Sari Village (East Java Province) showed that there was a relationship between networking and ecotourism development. Surprisingly, trust and norms had no relationship with ecotourism development. West Java and Central Java communities had different social and cultural conditions. The Javanese community is famous for their social class system, and their general characteristic tends to be introverted. Meanwhile, Sundanese people (in West Java) are softer, more likely to give in, not ambitious in the competition and more open to new comers. The research result indicated that the development of ecotourism should consider the social and cultural capitals that are hold by the community.