Delmira Syafrini, Desy Mardhiah, Bunga Dinda Permata, Fadilla Saputri
The purpose of this study is to explain the power of social capital as a driving factor for the development of community-based cultural heritage tourism in the former mining town of Sawahlunto, Indonesia. This city was selected because it can be used as a role model in the development of heritage tourism due to its legacy on past mining activities. The success is inseparable from the social capital in mobilizing the cooperation of all stakeholders to rebuild their post-mining city through the development of cultural heritage tourism. This is a qualitative study with data collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The results showed that social capital is the main factor driving heritage tourism development in Sawahlunto. This is due to the following attributes (a) innovative leaders, (b) trust as a basis for collaboration between stakeholders, and (c) historical ties to the past. Apart from being the main resource that strengthens the success of heritage tourism development, the social capital owned by the surrounding community has also been proven to accelerate the rise of this city from adversity after the end of the mining industry. This means that its extinction can be the beginning of urban regeneration. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023.
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, West Sumatra, Padang, Indonesia
