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The transformation of village areas into community-based tourist destinations represents a strategic pathway for achieving sustainable tourism in Indonesia. This study explores the potentials, challenges, and strategic directions for developing Dukuh Mejing, Bantul Regency, as an emerging community-based agro-edutourism village. A qualitative descriptive approach with an intrinsic case study design was employed, involving in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, supported by NVivo 12 Plus for coding and thematic mapping.  The results reveal that Dukuh Mejing possesses strong physical and socio-cultural assets, including modern goat farming, rice-based agriculture, and preserved local traditions such as Nyadran and Kenduri. However, key constraints remain in infrastructure, community awareness, and institutional coordination. The SWOT analysis indicates that strategic development should focus on optimizing agritourism and cultural-based experiences, enhancing community capacity, improving accessibility, and adopting digital innovation to expand market reach.  The findings emphasize that collaborative governance, community empowerment, and innovation-driven competitiveness are fundamental to building a sustainable and resilient village tourism model. This study proposes an integrated framework that aligns community-based tourism principles with destination competitiveness and sustainable planning approaches. Practically, the model provides policy insights for local governments to strengthen participatory planning, institutional synergy, and adaptive monitoring systems. Theoretically, it contributes to the understanding of how village tourism destinations can achieve sustainability through community-led innovation and inclusive governance.

Thulamela's tourism sector has experienced growth in recent years, contributing to a steadily rising regional GDP. However, persistent unemployment and poverty raise concerns about the extent of local community involvement in tourism planning and decision-making, which is essential for ensuring equitable benefits, cultural preservation , and sustainable development. this study examined community participation and interactions with local businesses and authorities in Thohoyandou and surrounding villages within the Thulamela Local Municipality. A quantitative survey involving 304 community members was conducted, and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 29.0 with appropriate statistical techniques. the results reveal a significant gab between communities and administrative governance structure , along with a strong demand for inclusion in the formulation and drafting of tourism policies and participatory planning platforms. This study contributes to the scholarship on community involvement in tourism and offer potential insight for academics, managers, planners and policymakers who seek to enhance inclusive, community-centered tourism governance in developing contexts such as South Africa.

Tourism is increasingly recognised as a catalyst for inclusive development in the Global South. In South Africa, community-based homestays (CBHs) empower rural communities while conserving cultural and environmental assets, yet implementation remains uneven. This study examines the governance and sustainability of CBHs through a case study of the Makwarani village in Limpopo Province. Using an interpretivist qualitative design, ten semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically within Collaborative Governance, Social Exchange, and Sustainable Livelihoods frameworks. Findings reveal that tourism both preserves and commercialises local culture, generates seasonal income, and fosters social cohesion while also producing inequality, environmental strain, and governance fragmentation. Participants stressed the need for equitable benefit-sharing, strong institutional coordination, and community participation. The study concludes that inclusive governance, capacity development, and collaborative management are essential to bridge the policy–practice gap and achieve sustainable, community-driven tourism in South Africa.

This study investigates the prevailing barriers to the development of cultural tourism to become an inclusive and participatory agent of local economic growth in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Using a mixed methods study approach, researchers collected data by giving structured questionnaires and conducting semi-structured interviews in eleven culturally rich areas of the province. Quantitative findings indicate the COVID-19 pandemic significantly eroded tourism growth, followed closely by the lack of local engagement, primarily among the youth and women, largely resulting from the unavailability of information and the lack of support for small businesses. Qualitative findings endorse the stated barriers, indicating the lack of sufficient strategic planning, under-marketing of the culture of tourism, and the lack of integration of such aspects of culture, such as traditional foods and arts, into the touristic products. The study calls for inclusive policies to empower the marginalised communities, the widening of community engagement, and the utilisation of KZN’s cultural resources to drive economic transformation. The study concludes by providing recommendations for responsive governance, strategic marketing, and development paradigms that can reposition the culture of tourism as a viable path for inclusive development in the province.

The purpose of this study was to see the effect of the establishment of village-owned enterprises (BUM Desa) and the support of the local government in increasing the village's original income. This research has a research sample using the purposive sampling method, namely BUM Desa Dukuh Dempok, and BUM Desa Kemiri. Data was obtained by conducting interviews, observations, and documentation. Interviews were conducted with in-depth interviews with the chairman and management of BUM Desa in Jember. Analysis was carried out on the data and information obtained to obtain research results. Tourism BUM Desa Gumuk Watu and Tourism BUM Desa Kemiri have a role in increasing the village's original income can be seen from the function of facilitator and mediator. The two BUM Desa include the role of the community in building and developing tourism. Local government support for BUM Desa tourism is very important. BUM Desa Wisata Gumuk Watu and BUM Desa Wisata Kemiri received full support from the government in the form of capital and socialization of BUM Desa to the community. The difference in income between the BUM Desa Gumuk Watu and the BUM Desa Kemiri. Tourism BUM Desa of Kemiri experienced a decrease in income by more than 50% but Tourism BUM Desa of Gumuk Watu experienced an increase due to the entertainment needs of the community. These results indicate that BUM Desa which is engaged in tourist areas needs the role of the government in helping to increase their income in the pandemic era.