Green Tourism and Spatial Planning Conflict: A Comparative Study of Ecotourism Regulations in Indonesia and New Zealand
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The land conversion in the Sentul–Puncak area for tourism development by a regional state- owned enterprise (BUMD) illustrates a systemic failure in Indonesia's spatial and environmental governance. Fragmented regulations across spatial planning, environmental protection, and tourism law have weakened monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, making them vulnerable to political and short- term investment interests. This article aims to analyze the legal conflict in spatial planning within tourism development and propose an integrative regulatory model based on green zoning grounded in ecological sustainability. Using a normative legal approach with qualitative methods, this study applies four approaches: statutory, conceptual, case-based, and comparative. The Indonesian legal system is compared with New Zealand’s effective eco-tourism framework, as reflected in the Resource Management Act 1991, Conservation Act 1987, the application of ecological carrying capacity, and mandatory sustainability certification through Qualmark. The study finds that Indonesia urgently requires regulatory reform, including the implementation of ecological zoning, mandatory sustainability certification for tourism businesses, and substantive community participation in land-use oversight. The legal novelty proposed in this study lies in the integration of spatial, environmental, and tourism law through a unified permit system and the establishment of community-based oversight forums. This model is expected to prevent spatial conflicts and strengthen the foundation of green tourism that responds to both ecological challenges and spatial justice in Indonesia.
Authors: Indri Septiana, Sunarno, M.Endriyo Susila
Institution: Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta
Language: English
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7161624349