Dutungan Island, December 13, 2025 — The Department of International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Hasanuddin University, conducted a community service activity on Dutungan Island, Barru Regency. This activity aimed to encourage the strengthening of local community capacity in managing sustainable tourism potential while strengthening collaboration between the community and various stakeholders.
Dutungan Island is known to have significant marine tourism potential, supported by its natural beauty and strategic location, which is relatively easy to access from urban areas. However, optimizing this potential still faces a number of challenges, particularly related to the readiness of local human resources, the management of tourism support facilities, and coordination between parties involved in the development of tourist destinations.
The community service activity was carried out in the form of a field visit involving lecturers from the Department of International Relations, the community of Dutungan Island, and representatives of relevant stakeholders. The activity began with a meeting with local community leaders to explore the actual conditions of tourism management in the area. In a participatory discussion session, the community shared their experiences, the economic opportunities that had been utilized, and the obstacles still faced in tourism management practices.
The community service team then presented the concept of community-based tourism management, the importance of the community’s role as the main actor in the development of tourist destinations, and the need for collaboration with local governments and business actors in strengthening local tourism governance.
In addition to the discussion session, this activity also included a participatory process of identifying potential and needs together with the community and relevant stakeholders. This process aimed to map various priority aspects in the management of tourism on Dutungan Island, ranging from the readiness of human resources, the availability of supporting facilities, the quality of tourism services, to the capacity of local institutions in managing tourism activities in a sustainable manner.
Through this collaborative approach, this community service activity is expected to strengthen coordination between parties and encourage the formulation of a more focused and sustainable tourism management strategy. This effort is expected to support the development of Dutungan Island as a competitive local tourist destination while providing economic benefits for the local community.
