Model Tourism Sisters’ Islands Launched to Interconnect Bali, NTB, and NTT Tourism
FORMOSA NEWS — Tourism development in archipelagic regions often faces significant hurdles due to sectoral ego, fragmented inter-destination planning, and weak cross-island coordination
Conducted throughout 2025 and published in the International Journal of Contemporary Sciences (IJCS) in September 2026, the study integrates the complementary tourism strengths of Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) into a unified, sustainable, and globally competitive cross-island tourism corridor
Archipelagic Tourism Challenges and Policy Relevance
Despite their geographical proximity and world-class cultural and natural attractions, tourism development across Bali, NTB, and NTT has historically operated in silos
This fragmentation directly impacts visitor travel behavior
Recent interprovincial policy initiatives, such as the Bali–NTB–NTT Regional Cooperation (KR BNN) framework initiated in late 2025, demonstrate growing government political commitment to regional synchronization
Simplified Research Methodology
To formulate an empirically grounded inter-island tourism model, the research team employed a mixed-methods approach integrated with a Research and Development (R&D) design based on the 10-step Borg and Gall framework
Fieldwork conducted during 2025 gathered data from two key participant groups across Bali, NTB, and NTT
- Quantitative Survey: Assessed perceptions from 50 domestic and international tourists across major tourism destinations using a 1–5 Likert scale to measure product attractiveness, trip continuity, and integration
. - Qualitative Interviews: Conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 8 key stakeholders, including provincial tourism officials, destination managers, and local community representatives
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The study also analyzed official policy documents and media reports surrounding major regional events, such as the 2025 Mandalika International Festival, to validate findings regarding event-based multi-stakeholder collaboration
Key Findings: Connectivity Stands as the Primary Structural Barrier
Quantitative findings reveal that overall tourism planning integration across Bali, NTB, and NTT currently stands at a moderate level, recording a total mean score of 3.18 out of 5.00
Key analytical indicators from the research include
- Tourism Planning Integration (Mean: 3.15): Operational event coordination scores relatively well at 3.28, but strategic policy synchronization lags at 3.02, reflecting structural inconsistencies across provincial masterplans
. - Stakeholder Collaboration (Mean: 3.10): Community participation exhibits strong grassroots momentum (3.25), whereas formal institutional coordination and private sector engagement remain lower at 2.95
. - Tourism Product Development (Mean: 3.20): Individual destination appeal is rated very high (3.35), but multi-destination travel package integration achieves only 3.05
. - Destination Connectivity (Mean: 2.89): Represents the lowest-performing dimension in the study
. Transportation linkage records a low score of 2.85, establishing physical and logistical connectivity as the single biggest bottleneck to cross-island tourism .
Real-World Impact and Institutional Implications
The proposed Sisters' Islands model introduces a practical framework based on complementary positioning, eliminating direct interprovincial competition
- Bali functions as the regional center for cultural tourism
. - West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) anchors adventure and sport tourism
. - East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) serves as the primary hub for marine tourism
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By operationalizing this model, policymakers and tourism boards can establish a single digital promotion portal, synchronize an integrated regional event calendar, and deploy continuous cross-island travel packages
Furthermore, the model supports long-term regional economic growth and environmental sustainability by aligning tourism connectivity with low-carbon infrastructure, such as the regional renewable energy super grid initiative connecting Bali, NTB, and NTT
"Each island possesses distinct, high-value tourism products, yet they have long operated as isolated destinations. The Sisters' Islands model establishes the structural and governance linkages required to transform separate regional assets into one seamless, interconnected tourism ecosystem," noted lead researcher Sirajuddin and his co-authors
Author Profiles
- Sirajuddin, M.Pd. (Lead & Corresponding Author): Lecturer and Researcher at Politeknik Pariwisata Lombok, Indonesia. Expertise in tourism planning, event management, and sustainable destination development
. Budi Made Budiarsa, Dr.:
Academic and Researcher at Institut Pariwisata dan Bisnis Internasional (IPBI), Bali, Indonesia, specializing in destination governance and tourism business management. Putu Herny Susanti, M.Par.:
Lecturer and Researcher at Institut Pariwisata dan Bisnis Internasional (IPBI), Bali, Indonesia, with expertise in tourism marketing and travel product planning. Agus Made Yoga Iswara, Dr.:
Academic and Researcher at Institut Pariwisata dan Bisnis Internasional (IPBI), Bali, Indonesia, focusing on tourism policy analysis and collaborative governance. - Nyoman Surya Wijaya, Dr.: Lecturer and Researcher at Institut Pariwisata dan Bisnis Internasional (IPBI), Bali, Indonesia, specializing in hospitality management and tourism operations
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Research Source Information
- Article Title: Designing a Planning and Development Model for Sisters' Islands Tourism Products in Bali, NTB, and NTT
- Journal Name: International Journal of Contemporary Sciences (IJCS)
- Publication Volume & Year: Vol. 4, No. 9, September 2026 (Pages: 2225–2248)
- Authors: Sirajuddin, Budi Made Budiarsa, Putu Herny Susanti, Agus Made Yoga Iswara, Nyoman Surya Wijaya
- Digital Object Identifier (DOI):
https://doi.org/10.55927/tm90zx33 - Official URL:
https://journalijcs.my.id/index.php/ijcs
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