Factors Hindering the Management of Pentadio Resort Tourist Attraction in Increasing Local Own-Source Revenue

Abstract

Government-managed tourism destinations in developing countries frequently underperform relative to their economic potential, yet the institutional mechanisms underlying this underperformance remain insufficiently theorized. Drawing on collaborative governance theory, this study investigates the institutional barriers constraining the management of Pentadio Resort a government-administered geothermal tourism destination in Gorontalo Regency, Indonesia and examines how these barriers limit the destination's contribution to local own-source revenue. A qualitative descriptive design was employed, with data generated through in-depth interviews with eight purposively selected informants, supplemented by field observations and document analysis. Thematic analysis of the data reveals three structurally interrelated barriers: limited managerial capacity among Tourism Office personnel, characterized by insufficient educational qualifications and absence of sector-specific training; weak inter-agency coordination, manifested in fragmented task execution and inadequate accountability mechanisms; and underdeveloped stakeholder cooperation, reflected in the absence of formal collaborative frameworks between government units, private actors, and local communities. Critically, these barriers do not operate independently but form a mutually reinforcing governance deficit in which capacity limitations constrain coordination quality, which in turn suppresses the conditions necessary for productive stakeholder cooperation. These findings refine existing understandings of collaborative governance in government-managed tourism destinations and contribute an integrated governance deficit model that conceptualizes managerial capacity, coordination, and stakeholder cooperation as mutually reinforcing institutional constraints. The study recommends a holistic approach to governance reform that simultaneously addresses managerial capacity development, coordination infrastructure, and formal stakeholder collaboration frameworks as prerequisites for sustainable destination performance and local revenue optimization.