Unequal Landscapes of Tourism-Led Development: Lessons from West Manggarai, Indonesia

Ardiyanto Maksimilianus Gai; Ernan  Rustiadi; Akhmad Fauzi; Baba Barus

doi:10.5614/jpwk.2025.36.3.5

Authors

Ardiyanto Maksimilianus Gai Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty Civil Engineering and Planning, Institut Teknologi Nasional Malang, Indonesia
Ernan Rustiadi Division of Regional Development Planning, Department of Soil and Land Resource, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University, Indonesia
Akhmad Fauzi Department of Resource and Environmental Economics and Management, IPB University, Indonesia
Baba Barus Division of Regional Development Planning, Department of Soil and Land Resource, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5614/jpwk.2025.36.3.5

Keywords:

Anselin Local Moran?s I, Moran?s I, Poverty, Spatial Autocorrelation, Spatial Statistics

Abstract

This study examines whether tourism-led regional transformation in West Manggarai, one of Indonesia?s super-priority tourism destinations, has generated spatially inclusive poverty reduction. Drawing on broader debates about tourism-led development, uneven geographical development, enclave economies, and spatial justice, the study investigates whether tourism-related economic growth has translated into geographically distributed livelihood improvements. Using village-level poverty data from 169 villages for 2022 and 2024, the study applies Global Moran?s I and Anselin?s Local Moran?s I to identify spatial autocorrelation and local poverty cluster dynamics. The findings reveal significant positive spatial autocorrelation of poverty in both years, confirming the persistence of High-High and Low-Low clusters. However, changes in poverty between 2022 and 2024 were not spatially significant, indicating that poverty reduction processes remained fragmented rather than spreading systematically across neighboring villages. These results demonstrate that tourism-led growth does not automatically generate inclusive welfare outcomes; instead, development benefits remain territorially selective and are shaped by unequal access to human, physical, financial, social, and natural capital. By integrating spatial statistics with the Sustainable Rural Livelihood Approach (SRLA), this study contributes to global discussions on tourism and poverty by showing how internationally promoted destinations can simultaneously experience economic growth and persistent localized poverty. The findings highlight the importance of place-based poverty reduction strategies, stronger rural?tourism linkages, targeted interventions in persistent High-High clusters, and continuous spatial monitoring to achieve more equitable regional transformation.

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