Sustainable Development Concept of Heritage Kampung Tourism Using Novel Prioritization Approach

Sustainable development is an ideal pathway as it aims to balance economic progress and environment protection while being mindful of social interests [20]. It is commonly acknowledged that sustainability is built upon three pillars: social, economic, and environmental aspects [21,22,23,24]. In spite of perpetual changes in the sustainable development concept, its core principles and goals have fostered more awareness and adaptation behaviors across various human activities [25].

The quality of the environment should not be compromised to satisfy human needs, and certain protections need to be put in place in order to ensure its sustainability for future generations [26,27]. The constant increase in pollution and resource plundering has rendered an alarming need for environmentally sustainable practices, especially in the past decades [16,27]. Key principles to social sustainability include equity, inclusion, social mix, engagement, and democracy [28]. Living elements such as safety, comfort, strong sense of place, green spaces, infrastructure, and easy access to urban services, increase real estate satisfaction [28,29], therefore increasing the overall quality of life that supports healthy social interaction.

An overt focus on economic aspects would endanger the environmental and social elements of sustainability, such as overdrawing resources or prioritizing the economy over the human element [30,31,32]. Robust economic activities in urban settings tend to generate excess waste and pollutants, while the high concentration of the populace brings about social problems, stretching the capacity and resources to dangerous levels [33].

Urban kampungs tend to happen as either existing kampungs being absorbed into an urban setting or informal settlements that grew into urban kampungs overtime. Despite being an integral part of Indonesian cities, oftentimes the kampung is seen in a negative light or as simply traditional [34,35]. While it is not always the case, this is due to a lot of them beginning as informal settlements or even slums, and they are infamous for their lack of adequate infrastructure to accommodate their crowded inhabitants.

Among the most successfully implemented government program in Indonesia is the Kampung Improvement Program (KIP), which had been implemented ever since 1968 in Surabaya and 1978 in Semarang [36,37]. Especially in Surabaya, the KIP promotes inclusivity as well as provides a cost-effective, innovative, and sustainable method of transforming a high-density kampung into a green and clean neighborhood [38,39]. Aside from government-created programs, the private sector in Indonesia has also had a role in creating projects to improve slum areas through their CSR programs [40]. Other means of kampung development include efforts by the Indonesian government to promote collaboration between professional organizations (e.g., professional architect organization), governments, and communities through kampung Tematik (thematic kampung) programs [41]. Kampung tourism development, be it rural or urban, turned out to be one of the favored ways to mitigate kampung issues [42]. It is important to note that improvement programs in Indonesian kampungs tend to focus on one pillar of sustainability utmost, mainly the social aspect.

Tourism has been utilized as a development tool largely due to its multiplier effects to the surrounding environment, namely, job creation, tax generation, and as a stimulus for entrepreneurial activities [43]. Notable and marketable cultural heritage poses a competitive advantage in the tourism marketplace for it appeals to larger segments of the traveling public, especially in the context of historic cities [44]. Recent trends in urban heritage tourism have seen the increase in government participation, due to the shift in economic restructuring from traditional manufacture towards a service-based economy [45]. Cultural heritage tourism pertains to a form of tourism associated with the cultural facets of a given locality, encompassing lifestyle, historical narratives, artistic expressions, architectural marvels, religious practices, and other defining elements of life within the area.

Sustainability within the kampung tourism setting should be multi-purpose, promoting the kampung’s potential and aiming to support the local culture and individualities of the hosting community, as well as its landscape and habitat [42]. In the proposed setting, CBT (community-based tourism) is enacted to make kampung tourism possible as the kampung itself will be the site of tourism. Community participation is crucial to keep the tourist kampung going, as well as for maintaining upkeep. Allowing tourists to visit these communities brings benefit to both the community and tourists alike, generating benefits for the locals while allowing tourists to visit and learn about the community hosts, their cultures, and local environment [46]. This goes hand in hand with sustainable livelihood approaches that embrace community participation and are rooted in equitable, empowering ideologies [46].

Urban heritage management, defined as the study intersection between urban heritage conservation and urban facility management, plays a pivotal role in the context of heritage tourism [47]. Mismanaging urban heritage may affect the perceived value of heritage, for it was once perceived as a barrier to local development in contrast to being seen as a catalyst for urban culture and tourism development [48,49,50]. Mismanagement in urban heritage asset, mainly due to uncontrolled urban development and the domination of modern suburban development, had been occurring in the traditional kampung [51,52].

Previous research by Lucchi et al. [53] about sustainable heritage in the urban context was focused on the Urban Green Rating System (UGRS). It is a framework used to evaluate and assess the environmental sustainability and green features of urban developments, such as buildings, neighborhoods, or entire cities. It aims to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies in urban areas, promoting resource efficiency, environmental conservation, and human well-being. The results indicated that the system is proven counterproductive for heritage sites, distracting the decision-maker due to aspects irrelevant to heritage conservation [53]. Another research in Cuenca City, Equador, utilized the Historical Urban Landscape (HUL) approach that assumes heritage to be a resource [54]. This research discusses inclusivity, social cohesion, segregation and inequality, economic social improvement, as well as urban regeneration. HUL implementation allowed the identification of a strategic framework that incorporates various stakeholders’ points of view. This concept reveals previously ignored values and attributes in heritage management system in a city context.

Malang city is brimming with heritage potential that could be developed into historical tourist destinations, for the city landscape itself is rich with the remnants of Dutch colonial times along with many other instances of heritage and culture built upon its soil [55,56,57]. Kayutangan, one of the longstanding and historic downtown kampungs in Malang city, has been recognized as a heritage kampung. It was formally inaugurated as a tourist destination in 2018 by the Malang city government. Its prevalence as a heritage kampung stems from the significant number of colonial-era buildings that remain preserved, serving as residences for local residents, while many others have been demolished and replaced with newer structures [58]. The kampung Kayutangan provides educational tourism focused on heritage through showcasing the existing colonial architecture, as well as antiques and artifacts, including electronics, old bicycles, cooking tools, and other household antiques [59].

Many forms of cultural heritage have also been formed through the history of the city development itself, in effect making several sites into areas with cultural heritage values, all the way back to the era of Kanjuruhan kingdom to the Dutch occupation [60]. This include kampungs, such as the case with pecinan (Chinatown) existence that is inseparable from the people of Chinese descent who live there, muslim kampungs such as Kauman in several parts of Indonesia, various remnants of Dutch colonial architectures such as Idjen Boulevard, and the heritage kampung Kayutangan in Malang city [55,61,62]. Heritage kampungs then can be developed into a heritage tourism destination within the kampung scale, effectively preserving the site for both future generations and tourists to enjoy, increasing social activities, and bringing economic advantage toward the kampung inhabitants. The distinctive historical characteristics exhibited by these locations may be regarded as sufficiently novel to warrant their development as tourist attractions. The locations of tourist attractions sites can be observed in Figure 1.

First, regarding the environmental aspect, the main built attractions are vintage houses with enormous historical value. Some of the vintage buildings were built in the Jengki/Yankee style, making them uniquely different from contemporary buildings in the kampung. Others were built in the Indies Empire style that referenced the Gothic style. Main characteristics of the Indies Empire style are its spaciousness to allow cross ventilation into the interior, symmetrical layout, and composition, with a gallery that connects the main building to a service building [63,64,65]. The buildings’ authenticity in the heritage kampung Kayutangan was retained [66] even though they underwent adaptive reuse for tourism purposes, mostly for antique exhibits [67] and old-school cafes. Some buildings have lost their optimum function due to natural causes [68]. Heritage building maintenance in Kayutangan was a combined effort by the building owner, tourism-awareness groups, and the city government [69,70,71].

Aside from vintage buildings, other non-building attractions are the sacred tomb (Makam Mbah Honggo) [72], the sewer system [72], and the vintage stairs structure (tangga seribu, lit. a thousand stairs) [72]. Open spaces on the heritage site are decorated with ornaments that emphasize the vintage nuance, such as mural paintings, antique streetlights starting from the kampung’s portal all the way through the boulevard, and andesite tile pavements as the representation of the traditional roadway [73,74]. Locals have also employed green wall structures to increase green areas in the heritage kampung Kayutangan [75].

Second, from a social standpoint, the factors are limited to activities and partnership, mainly for marketing and management purposes. Sustainable heritage tourism mainly relies on community involvement, especially local community and organizations. Marketing activities are pivotal in the success and sustainability of heritage tourism. Such activities are mainly conducted by the awareness tourism group (Kelompok Sadar Wisata, henceforth shall be addressed as Pokdarwis) [76,77], the local women association [78], and local youth groups [78,79], in the form of public events [80] and art showcases [81].

Aside from activities, partnerships are fundamental in managing heritage-based tourism where collaboration among various stakeholders is essential for sustainable development. The important stakeholders in sustainable heritage tourism management are the government [82,83], non-government organizations [83], universities [84], as well as the local community’s engagement especially for decision-making [83] and hospitality [85].

Last, income is required to ensure the continuation of the heritage kampung. Tourism sites often require both farebox and non-farebox revenue to diversify their income streams, enhance financial sustainability, and support ongoing development and maintenance. The existing sources of non-farebox revenue in Kayutangan heritage tourism site consist of antiquities [67], traditional markets [86], cafes and traditional drinks’ vendors [63], roadside stalls [87], as well as selfie spots [88]. Farebox revenue includes ticketing [89], art performance [90], tourism package [91], tourism guidance services [92], as well as sponsorship [93]. Variables of this research are shown in Table 1.