An Assessment of Local Economic Empowerment Using Halal Tourism Approach: A Case from Sembalun District East Lombok, Indonesia

Article History Received: July 12, 2018 Accepted: September 30, 2018 This study aimed to assess the local economic empowerment based on halal principles in Sembalun, a village within the circumference of Rinjani, the newly-designated world geopark by UNESCO. The descriptive qualitative method was chosen to analyze the data. The Participatory Rural Appraisal was used as an instrument to identify the expectations of the economy of local community. The study showed that local economic empowerment could be developed in several ways as follows: 1) Halal food initiative through increasing community participation and skills, involving institutions, providing intensive assistance, and increasing the role of community and institution in creating cooperation; 2) Worship facility improvement through increasing quality and maintenance of available worship facilities; 3) Services during Ramadan by improving the community and institutional capacity as well as delivering information to tourism operators and visitors; 4) Supporting facilities upgrading through increasing the numbers of waterfriendly toilets both in quantity and quality; 5) Halal activities enrichment by eliminating non-halal activities and promote halal activities only; 6) Privacy leisure facilities and services provision through increasing institutional and community capacity in providing privacy leisure facilities and services as well as developing cooperation with stakeholders.


INTRODUCTION
Tourism in Indonesia is one sector that has great potential and deserves to be developed and managed optimally. The influence of the development of the tourism sector has recently become an important concern as the largest foreign exchange contributing sector after the oil and gas sector. The tourism sector is one of the mainstay sectors for national development because it can increase revenues through the country's foreign exchange and also become a leading sector that plays an important role in economic development. As mentioned in Sunaryo (2013) [5] that in addition to being a source of foreign exchange earnings, tourism also serves as an instrument of equity development and community renewal (adoption of technology and modernization values). In addition, Lakshmi and Shaji (2016) [2] say that tourism is a major economic activity that can bring significant changes to the lives of people in the tourism destinations both in terms of economic growth, infrastructure development and improving standards of living Halal tourist destination becomes a new brand for West Nusa Tenggara province developed through the existing tourism potential, especially in District Sembalun, East Lombok. Rinjani circle area is one of the world destinations that have been established as a UNESCO World Geopark area through Geoculinary, Geohomestay, Geosouvenir, and Geotour products [6]. One of the areas that have a diversity of tourism potential by presenting a variety of natural beauty and culture is very interesting to visit is Sembalun District. Sembalun district is one of the districts belonging to the Rinjani ring area which has many natural potentials and potential resources that can be developed through local economic empowerment. Halal tourism is a tourism activity with tourism destination and tourism industry that prepare product facilities, service, and tourism management that fulfill syari'at (Piece of the Province NTB No. 2 the Year 2016) [3]. Development of halal tourism area Rinjani circle in District Sembalun, East Lombok is potential to serve as a new object that can increase the potential of the region. The existence of local potentials in Sembalun district, East Lombok is not currently supported by the involvement and active role of the community and institutions in supporting local potentials. So this research aims to study local economic empowerment based on halal tourism area of Rinjani circle in Sembalun district, East Lombok, Indonesia.

METHOD
The method of this research is qualitative descriptive using primary data in the form of observation and interview and using secondary data in the form of a journal, book, and related documents obtained from the institution and using the Participatory Rural Appraisal analysis is used as an instrument to identify the expectations of society towards the empowerment of the local economy.

RESULT Distribution of Local Potential in Sembalun District
Based on UNESCO Recommendation, there are some local potential especially in Sembalun Subdistrict, East Lombok regency can be divided into several geo product potentials such as Geokuliner, Geohomestay, Geosouvenir, and Geotour products. The spread of local potentials can be described as follows.
1. Geo souvenir Geo souvenir is a development of souvenirs made from local with forms and themes related to geopark Rinjani. The potential of geo culinary in Sembalun District, East Lombok Regency based on UNESCO recommendation is in Sembalun Village with a product of T-shirt with wicker packaging, keychain. Village with the product of organic bread with raw material of potato, strawberry and carrots and in Sembalun Bumbung Village with processed products of fresh food (tomato, potato, onions) to be packed and marketed to hotels and restaurants.  participation in the implementation of development. The establishment of social institutions in Sembalun District, both types and numbers are determined by the situation and conditions and customs prevailing in the community. The existence of these social institutions is a strategic step in the effort to uphold democratic life and as a vehicle for the process of learning of democracy whose pillars actually exist in society. The representation of various groups and elements in the community is seen in every member of the community institution, so that the social control over the government, service, and development will be better.
With a variety of considerations and demands of community needs and to support the smooth development of activities in Sembalun District, in 2016 can be inventoried the number of social institutions as many as 15 pieces that include: 1) Women's organizations such as Foonding Welfare Family, and Dasawisma Groups.

Result of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
Participatory Rural Appraisal is one of the instruments used to find out the people's expectation of local economic potential in the surrounding area. The Participatory Rural Appraisal results that have been done in Sembalun District, East Lombok which can be seen from various aspects are among others:

1) Regional Potential
 The community in Sembalun district, East Lombok about 85% of the people already knows the potential of the region in the village especially the tourism potential that received much attention from tourists.  Local people in Sembalun district have tried to maximally support the potentials of their village by managing and planting in an orderly manner related to potato, strawberry, tomato and other agricultural products so that the agricultural products of the community will also increase.

2) Problems / Constraints
 Of the people present in PRA activities, about 15% of the community stated that there were no obstacles or problems in managing and developing the potentials in their village.  However, about 85% of the public stated that there were problems or obstacles in support of potential in their village, the problems include: a. Low community knowledge in managing and developing potentials within a region b. Inadequate facilities and infrastructure in support of these potentials c. The marketing and price of agricultural products that are perceived to be incompatible with limited marketing reach 3) Institutional  In Sembalun district, East Lombok there is already institutions that specifically deal with the processing of agricultural products into something that can be enjoyed by tourists who come. For example with the manufacture of culinary crackers, potato chips, processing fruit strawberry and other culinary-culinary which will be marketed in the center by-dies.  Existing institutions are also very participative and have an active role in supporting the existing potentials in Sembalun District.  Youth groups in Sembalun village are very participating in the process of managing and developing various potentials, especially in the tourism potential.

4) People's Expectations
 The community in Sembalun district, East Lombok hopes that there will be further guidance and assistance to the surrounding community related to the management and development procedures of potentials in their area.  People hope that the agricultural output they manage will increase.  People also hope that the existing tours in the Sembalun District can be one alternative tourist destinations that can be visited by tourists both domestic and foreign tourists.  The community hopes that there will be active local government support and participation in deciding and establishing potentials in Sembalun district that have great potential that can support the region in its development as a tourist village.

Local Potential Based Driving Direction Halal
Based on local potential and the result of PRA conducted in Sembalun district, East Lombok, the local economy empowerment direction based on halal tourism of Rinjani circle area is as follows: (1) Halal food, through efforts to improve community involvement and skills, institutionalization in the production and marketing of halal food, provide intensive assistance to the community, institutions related to the production, marketing and certification of halal food, increasing the active role of society and institutions to build cooperation and information dissemination halal food to tourists and tourists. (2) Worship facilities, through efforts to improve the quality and maintenance of adequate means of worship. (3) Services during Ramadan month, through efforts to improve the capacity of the community and institutions and information dissemination to tourism actors and tourists during Ramadan month. (4) Small, water-friendly toilets, through an effort to increase the number and quality of adequate restrooms. (5) No non-halal activities, through efforts to improve the capacity of the community, institutions and information dissemination of tourism actors and tourists not to engage in non-halal activities. (6) Facilities and recreational services with privacy, through efforts to improve community capacity, institutions in the provision and quality of recreational facilities and services with privacy as well as building cooperation with stakeholders.

CONCLUTION
Based on these studies, we get some conclusions as follows: (1) Sembalun district is one of the areas that have potential in its development as a tourism destination halal with some local potential such as technology, culinary, tour, and homestay. (2) In its development as a halal tourism destination, local potentials in Sembalun district, East Lombok has been well developed but not yet optimal. (3) Based on the results of the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), community in Sembalun district, East Lombok hopes that the local potentials can provide more selling value and contribute greatly in the development of the region into one of the halal tourist destinations that can provide dish and service to Muslim tourists in particular. (4) Based on some potential and result of PRA that have been done, obtained some direction in local economic empowerment based on halal tourism parameter that is: 1) Halal food, through effort to increase community involvement and skill, institute in production and marketing of halal food, intensive assistance to the community, production-related institutions, marketing and halal food certification, enhancing the active role of communities and institutions to build cooperation and dissemination of halal food information to tourism and tourists, 2) Worship facilities, through improving the quality and maintenance of adequate facilities of worship, 3) Services during Ramadan month, through efforts to improve the capacity of the community and institutions and information dissemination to tourism actors and tourists during Ramadan month, 4) Small, water-friendly toilets, through an effort to increase the number and quality of adequate restrooms, 5) No non-halal activities, through efforts to improve the capacity of the community, institutions and information dissemination of tourism actors and tourists not to engage in non-halal activities, 6) Facilities and recreational services with privacy, through efforts to improve community capacity, institutions in the provision and quality of recreational facilities and services with privacy as well as building cooperation with stakeholders. During the month of Ramadan, through efforts to improve the capacity of communities and institutions and information dissemination of tourism and tourists during Ramadan, water-friendly small rooms through efforts to increase the number and quality of rooms to stay is adequate, there are no non-halal activities, through efforts to improve the capacity of the community, the institutional and socialization of information to tourism actors and tourists not to conduct non-halal activities, recreational facilities, and services with privacy, through efforts to improve the capacity of the community, institutions in the provision and quality recreational facilities and services with privacy as well as building cooperation with stakeholders.