The finding is important for agrotourism destinations that offer attractive experiences but may face difficulties in getting visitors to the site. Sangkanika Edugarden combines yellow dragon fruit cultivation, fruit-picking activities, local culinary experiences, and organic farming education. Yet visitor numbers at the destination have fluctuated considerably from month to month, suggesting that attractions alone may not guarantee a stable flow of tourists.
Access Can Determine Whether Tourists Come
The researchers identified accessibility as a practical issue at Sangkanika Edugarden. A preliminary survey involving 15 visitors in January 2026 found complaints about the smoothness of access using both private and public transportation. The study warns that if access problems are left unresolved, visitors may become reluctant to return, potentially affecting the sustainability of the tourism business.
The study initially examined three elements separately: transportation modes, road networks, and parking facilities. The researchers then discovered something important in their statistical analysis. Rather than functioning as completely separate factors, these three elements were empirically perceived by visitors as components of one broader concept—accessibility.
In simple terms, tourists do not necessarily separate the experience of reaching a destination into individual categories such as “road quality,” “transportation,” and “parking.” Instead, these elements work together to determine whether reaching the destination feels easy, comfortable, and convenient.
This led Aunillah and Wachdijono to reconceptualize the research model. Transportation, road networks, and parking facilities were integrated into a single accessibility construct before its relationship with tourist visits was tested. The researchers reported that the resulting model was more parsimonious and fit the empirical data better.
Study Surveyed 131 Tourists
The research used a quantitative survey involving 131 tourists visiting Sangkanika Edugarden in April and May 2026. Visitors responded to a questionnaire using a Likert scale, while the researchers analyzed the relationships between the variables using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the Bootstrap method.
The statistical analysis first examined whether the questionnaire indicators were sufficiently valid and reliable. The researchers then tested whether the proposed model adequately represented the collected data. After the accessibility construct was reconceptualized, the model achieved generally acceptable fit across multiple indicators, including RMSEA, SRMR, TLI, CFI, NFI, PNFI, and PCFI.
The most important result came from the final hypothesis test. Accessibility had a positive and statistically significant effect on tourist visits, with an estimated coefficient of 0.921, standardized estimate of 0.891, and bootstrap p-value of 0.001.
Roads Become a Critical Part of the Tourist Experience
The researchers emphasize that accessibility is more than simply having a road leading to a destination. It includes the overall ease with which tourists can reach and move around the destination.
Among the accessibility components, road connectivity emerged as a dominant factor in the discussion. Well-connected roads can shorten travel time, reduce delays, and improve travel comfort. In contrast, narrow, damaged, or difficult-to-access roads can discourage tourists even when the destination itself offers attractive activities.
This means the tourist experience begins before visitors arrive at the attraction. A destination may provide beautiful scenery, educational programs, agricultural activities, or local food, but difficulties encountered on the journey can influence the visitor's overall perception.
For agrotourism businesses, the implication is straightforward: improving the attraction itself should be accompanied by improving the journey to reach it.
Implications for Tourism Managers and Local Government
The findings provide several practical directions for Sangkanika Edugarden and other agrotourism destinations.
The researchers recommend improving supporting facilities such as directional signs, parking management, and the comfort of access to the tourism site. They also call for local government support in developing road and transportation infrastructure around tourism areas so that tourist mobility becomes easier and safer.
The study therefore suggests that accessibility should be managed as an integrated system rather than through isolated improvements. Upgrading a parking area, for example, may have limited value if the road leading to the destination remains difficult to navigate. Similarly, improving road conditions may not fully solve the problem if transportation options and directional information remain inadequate.
For local tourism businesses, this approach could help reduce barriers to visits, improve visitor comfort, encourage repeat visits, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of agrotourism.
The research also contributes to tourism theory by showing that transportation modes, road networks, and parking facilities can empirically function as dimensions of a broader accessibility construct. According to the authors, this reconceptualization provides a more streamlined model that reflects how tourists perceive access to a destination.
What the Study Means for Agrotourism Development
Sangkanika Edugarden illustrates a broader challenge facing nature-based and educational tourism destinations. Attractions may be the reason people want to visit, but accessibility can determine whether they actually make the trip.
For destinations in rural areas, where roads and public transportation may be less developed than in urban tourism centers, the issue is particularly relevant. Investment in accessibility can therefore become part of tourism development strategy rather than simply an infrastructure issue.
The researchers acknowledge that the study has limitations. They recommend future research involving at least 250 respondents and additional factors such as tourism service quality, destination attractiveness, tourism facilities, destination image, and tourist satisfaction.
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