Bridging Gaps in Sustainable Tourism: Women’s Leadership, Social Awareness, and Language Readiness in Dieng Kulon Homestays

¹ Management, STIE Pariwisata API, Indonesia
² Hospitality, Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika, Indonesia
³ Hotel Management, Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Indonesia
⁴ Hospitality, Universitas Stikubank, Indonesia

^* e-mail: ernawigati9@gmail.com

Abstract

The rapid growth of homestays in Dieng Kulon has positioned women as key actors in the development of sustainable tourism. Limited human resources, low collective awareness, internal conflicts, and the limited English language proficiency of the managers also weakened the organization’s solidarity. This study aims to analyze the role of women’s leadership in bridging management, social, and language gaps to strengthen homestay institutions. The research method used is descriptive qualitative with a case study approach through interviews, observation, and document analysis. The research findings indicate that women’s leadership plays a crucial role in maintaining community solidarity, managing conflicts, and strengthening coordination, despite facing limitations in control due to the everincreasing number of community members. Members’ social awareness is still low, as reflected in minimal collective participation and a weak sense of belonging to the community. Additionally, language barriers pose obstacles to interacting with foreign tourists, impacting the tourism experience and the sustainability of the destination’s image. This research emphasizes the importance of strengthening managerial capacity based on women’s leadership, increasing social awareness, and providing foreign language training for homestay managers to support inclusive sustainable tourism in Dieng Kulon.