Batu, East Java
IndonesiaKampung Songgoriti
Politics of Identity of Tourism Neighborhood of Songgoriti; Batu: Facing Rapid Urban and Technological Transformations in the Age of COVID-19
Emerging IssuesOne of the sectors which have been greatly affected by the mobility restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is tourism. This research addresses how the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzes the acceleration of digital-driven urbanization and transformation in the well-known tourist city of Batu, East Java. We will focus on a tourist neighborhood of Songgoriti which has long been known as a tourist spot since the colonial period. The pandemic affected the neighborhood because of the drastic decrease in the number of tourists. According to the Municipal Bureau of Statistics, in 2020 the number of domestic tourists fell -68.6 percent in comparison to the previous year. It is also the time of the digitalization of the economy, which takes form of app-based travel and hotel booking services developed by transnational companies. The residents of Songgoriti and its surroundings were used to market with a “direct selling” strategy. Tourism packages were interconnected to a set of complex economic chains making changes in one aspect that impacted the others. The digital era has significantly affected conventional marketing strategies and their chains. The uncertainties caused by COVID-19 and the growing economic pressures resulting from the digitalization of everyday life have forced residents of Songgoriti, especially the youth group, to seriously reconsider tourism as the main livelihood for their future. In this research, we focus on the neighborhood’s politics of identity, especially among youth and women groups, amidst rapid urbanization and technological transformation expedited by the multidimensional crises of COVID-19.
Neighborhood-Community-City-State RelationshipsSonggoriti has developed its own tourism identity since the Dutch Colonial era and became one popular tourist destination in Batu. Located 800 meters above sea level, the city of Batu is very popular with its rich, beautiful, and touristic landscapes of mountains and hills. As time goes by, members of each neighborhood competitively create an identity that would distinguish their place from the others to attract tourists coming to their neighborhood. Batu was a district (Kecamatan) of the Regency of Malang. In line with the spirit of decentralization of post-authoritarian Indonesia, starting from October 17, 2001, Batu eventually became an autonomous municipality by the issuance of Law No. 11 of 2001. Since then, tourism-based planning and transformations have triggered social, cultural, and ecological changes in Batu. The 2015 data showed that there were approximately four million tourists coming to the city, including 10 percent of foreign tourists. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has turned things around and stagnated all forms of tourism investment and economic activities, including in Songgoriti. As people are shifting to the digital, economic opportunities for local residents are narrowing instead of widening. Many residents, especially the youth, even view that there is no way of turning back.
Relevance to SEANNET CollectiveOur research will be using a community-oriented approach to address various forms of resiliencies of urban neighborhoods in facing urban and technological transformations. By focusing on a tourism destination as our case study, we would like to explore various global/local connections which contribute to such transformations. The research process and its findings benefit our process of learning and capacity building as academics and institutions of higher education. It will contribute in creating and maintaining international collaborative networking to promote a multidisciplinary approach to identifying and Kampung Songgoriti, Batu, East Java, Indonesia Politics of Identity of Tourism Neighborhood of Songgoriti, Batu: Facing Rapid Urban and Technological Transformations in the Age of COVID-19.
Research Focus and Proposed MethodologyThe research will focus on socio-cultural changes in Songgoriti amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and digital gentrification. Both are an integral part of globalization which contributes to competing identities in urban neighborhoods. Data collection will be carried out through fieldwork by establishing a field post at the research location. The field post will function as a data and information center throughout the research. We will be aided by field assistants who will collect ethnographic data through participant observation as well as in-depth interviews with key informants. We will also complement the data with archival studies to strengthen the arguments and enrich our analysis.