Paper short abstract:

This article describes how tourism has become an alternative economy for the locals besides agriculture in Samiran village, Central Java, Indonesia. There are several concerns regarding the authenticity of traditions and the share of benefits for the villagers.

Paper long abstract:

Village tourism is a means of locally driven development. The concept emphasizes the commodification of cultural and environmental resources in the village for tourist consumptions. Tourism objects and their supporting facilities are managed by village residents. Such characteristics of a tourist village make this type of tourism an example of community-based tourism. The success of tourism in supporting the well-being of the locals is on par with the community's effectiveness in organizing themselves to run the tourism business. This article describes how tourism has become an alternative economy for the locals besides agriculture in Samiran village, Central Java, Indonesia. Samiran village is located between Mount Merapi and Mount Merbabu. The first mountain is an active volcano and the latter is a national park that is popular for hiking. Samiran village is the gateway to the Merbabu mountain hiking route, which makes it frequented by guests. In 2006 the villagers started to build other tourism potentials so that Samiran became a tourist village. The practice of tourism brings new meanings of local culture for the host. Younger villager starts to practice traditional dance and performs in front of tourists. Local villager renovates their properties into local guesthouses for guests. However, the performative delivery of tourism experience raises several concerns regarding the authenticity of traditions and the share of benefits for the villagers.