OUR BLUE LIFE: THE ROLE OF THE BLUE ECONOMY AS AN EMPOWERMENT STRATEGY TO PROMOTE TOURISM EXCELLENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY IN TELUK SEBONG, BINTAN REGENCY

Abstract

In the last three years, from 2022 to 2024, the Riau Islands, especially the Bintan Regency, have experienced a decline in tourism visits. The decline in tourists shows the need for a more sustainable tourism development and empowerment strategy to ensure that Bintan remains a leading destination. The concept of the blue economy is one of the approaches that can be applied in emphasizing the optimal use of marine resources without damaging the ecosystem. This project is designed to provide new insights, especially to relevant stakeholders and local communities, regarding the application of the sustainable blue economy concept that can open up the sustainable development and excellence of marine tourism. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Community-Based Tourism (CBT) theories are used as the basis for summarizing the problems in the case of this project. The two concepts are closely related, especially in realizing sustainable tourism in Teluk Sebong. Meanwhile, the method used in this extension project is the Logical Analysis Framework (LAF), as a logical and informative approach that is useful for describing in detail the activities that will be carried out, accompanied by assumptions that will occur. The findings of this project will produce strategic recommendations for related tourism stakeholders and the local community in implementing the principles of the blue economy as a strategy for empowering the maritime sector through sustainable marine tourism.