Negotiating collaboration in community-based tourism development: a study from Mangunan, Indonesia

This study examines inter-stakeholder communication in community-based tourism development in Mangunan, Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach grounded in ethnomethodology, the study analyzes recorded interactions among government, academic stakeholder, and community stakeholders involved in tourism development. The analysis focuses on how collaboration is communicatively produced through everyday negotiation of interests, roles, and priorities. The findings show that stakeholder differences are primarily rooted in practical and institutional interests rather than in shared disagreement over tourism development itself. Two key issues, namely the development of a digital tourism map and preparation for the 2023 Anugerah Desa Wisata Indonesia competition, became central arenas of negotiation. The study also finds that facework plays an important role in sustaining collaboration, as stakeholders continuously manage legitimacy, mutual respect, and relational sensitivity during discussion and decision-making. These findings suggest that community-based tourism development should be understood not only as a matter of planning and coordination but also as a communicative accomplishment. The study contributes to tourism and communication scholarship by highlighting the interactional nature of stakeholder collaboration in a local development context.