The Promotion of Mangrove Ecotourism through Social Networking in Mempawah Regency

Abstract

development of Ecotourism in Mempawah Mangrove Park and Polaria Tanjung Pagar in providing promotional activities on social networking and determining policies appropriately, in order to increase the number of tourists and to increase regional income.

RESEARCH METHODS
The research was conducted at Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism that located in Pasir Village, Mempawah Hilir Sub-District and Polaria Tanjung Pagar that located in Mendalok Village in Sungai Kunyit Sub-District, Mempawah Regency. This was chosen purposively because tourist locations were still operating and in their promotion were using social networking Instagram and Facebook. This research was conducted with a quantitative method through a descriptive approach. The number of respondents was 60 respondents with a purposive sampling approach through the distribution of online questionnaire links. The criteria for this research were including content (context), communication, collaboration, and connectivity. Subcriteria of context in this research consisted of informative information such as the number of photo spots and types of mangroves, educational information such as information about the function of mangroves and the benefits of protecting the mangrove ecotourism environment and messages conveyed along with pictures. Sub communication criteria consisted of responding to followers by answering questions on the Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar account, the information provided was up to date and accurate. Collaboration sub-criteria consisted of redistributing the things conveyed by followers related to mangrove ecotourism, marking someone on posts related to mangrove ecotourism and collaborating with influencers such as artists, celebrities, or YouTubers. Sub-criteria for connection consisted of conveying positive things, holding social networking-based competitions such as making short videos and photo competitions about mangrove ecotourism and asking for opinions/suggestions from followers. The alternatives in this study consisted of context strategies, communication strategies, collaboration strategies and connection strategies. The analytical tool in this research used Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis with the support of Expert Choice 11 software.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Respondent Characteristics
The grouping of 60 sample respondents was based on age, sex, occupations and education level. The respondents consisted of key informants and general informants. Key informants were the Mempawah Tourism Office, Mempawah Pesona Indonesia (GENPI) Generation, Pontianak Pesona Indonesia (GENPI) Generation, Village Chiefs, Managers and general informants were the followers of Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar in Mempawah Regency.  Table 1 showed that the sex of key informants in Mempawah Mangrove Park and Polaria Tanjung Pagar ecotourism was dominated by men, because the male community was more involved in the work in Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism. This was supported by the society's view of the role of women in only doing work as housewives (Khotimah, 2009). However, general informants on both ecotourism were dominated by female respondents because women prefered to travel and capture photos on social media, so they need a tourist account as a tourist reference (Wahyuningsih, et al., 2018).
The age of key informants in Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism was dominated by respondents with an age range of 37-43 and in Polaria Tanjung Pagar was dominated by respondents with an age range of 34-37, where at that age were classified as productive ages which could adapt quickly to new tasks and were easy to understand and using technology (Ukkas, 2017). The age of general informants in Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism was dominated by followers with an age range of 18-22 years and in Polaria Tanjung Pagar is dominated by followers with an age range of 19-23 years. This age was classified as a teenager who had a relatively high level of curiosity, dares to try new things, expands friendships, adds knowledge and gets entertainment (Supratman, 2018).
The education level of the key informants in the two ecotourism was Senior High School/Vocational High School/equivalent because the level of education was considered to have special skills or competitions that can be an additional value related to problem analysis skills (Perdana, 2019;Haryanto E., 2013). The education level of general informants in the ecotourism Pagar was Senior High School/Vocational High School/equivalent. This condition showed that the followers of both ecotourism in education had a positive effect on the level of internet access and the spreading intensity of tourism information on social networks and the level of education affects one's understanding to the curiosity about tourist objects compared to someone with a lower educational level (Nurdianisa, et al. ., 2018;Modjanggo, et al., 2015).
The occupations of the two key informants of the ecotourism were dominated respondents with general employee status, because the managers came from the surrounding community and made their job as managers a side job. The occupation of general informants on both ecotourism was dominated by followers with student status. This indicated that students had a lower work intensity compared to other professions (Trihayuningtyas, et al., 2018).

Data Analysis of Analytical Heirarchy Process (AHP)
The stages of calculating the Analytical Heirarchy Process (AHP) method was the decomposition or hierarchical arrangement was performed if the problem had been defined. From these problems were then divided into various levels. Dividing was performed to the last level to produce an accurate analysis.

The Determination of Weight Paired Comparison in the Criteria
The determination of the importance level was indicated by the weight value of each criterion. Therefore, the first level in accordance with the hierarchy that had been compiled was to formulate priority criteria for promotional activities through social networking in Mempawah Mangrove Park (MMP) or Polaria Tanjung Pagar (PTP) ecotourism in increasing tourist visits. The calculation results were seen in the table below:  Table 2 showed that the context criteria were a top priority on Instagram and Facebook at Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar because in the implementation of the context criteria, it was considered less effective and less than the other criteria. Context activity was to provide informative information such as photo spots and mangrove types, educational information such as information about the function of mangroves and the benefits of protecting mangroves and messages were conveyed along with pictures. Context was considered important because in addition to providing information it can also convince and attract followers/tourists to visit because it displayed the actual location or place, thus attracting attention from followers (Indika & Jovita, 2017;Wicaksono, 2017). Therefore, to increase the number of tourists was by implementing context criteria.

The Determination of Weight Comparison Pairs in the Sub-Criteria
The assessment on the Analytical Hierarchy Process was supported by the Expert Choice program. The assessment of the importance level resulted in the weighted value of each criterion. In accordance with the hierarchy that had been arranged, then at the second level the priority sub-criteria for promotional activities through social networking were formulated at Ecotourism Mempawah Mangrove Park (MMP) or Polaria Tanjung Pagar (PTP) in increasing tourist visits. The calculation results were seen in the table below:  Table 3 showed that the sub-criteria context prioritized on Instagram and Facebook in Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar were informative information such as photo spots and mangrove species. Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism uploaded about photo spots from the start of the promotion using Instagram and Facebook until now, only about 27 uploads and 6 uploads for mangrove types. Meanwhile at Polaria Tanjung Pagar there were approximately 21 uploads and there were no uploads for type of mangrove. This indicated that the subcriteria for informative information such as the number of photo spots and mangrove species were still insufficient.
Therefore, it was necessary to increase the provision of informative information such as photo spots and mangrove species. Increasing the provision of photo spot information were by choosing good photos, photos taken at different angles and then being uploaded every day on Instagram and Facebook, up to two, three or even more with at least 1 photo per day. This method was effective in showing visually similar tourist attractions and can attract other users to visit (Kurniawati, 2016). The efforts to improve the provision of information on mangrove species can be performed by knowing the types of mangroves in ecotourism, then photographed and uploaded on Instagram and Facebook, then the photos were given an explanation based on the mangrove species. Informative information such as photo spots and mangrove species was considered important because apart from providing useful information it can also attract the attention of tourists whose purpose of traveling was not only to get entertainment but also to increase knowledge about mangroves. A good content was content that displayed messages that attract attention and was useful for users (McFarland & Ployhart, 2015).  Table 4 showed that the sub-criteria communication was prioritized on Instagram and Facebook of Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar, were the information given was up to date/latest. The up to date information was prioritized because it was not yet effective compared to other sub-criteria. To be seen from the upload on Instagram and Facebook of Mempawah Mangrove Park Ecotourism and Polaria Tanjung Pagar were not up to date every day. These data indicated that promotional activities on Instagram and Facebook were not up to date, while good photos were up to date, which was done every day and videos were uploaded at least once a week (Atiko, et al., 2016).
Based on the above problems, there was a need for an increase in providing up to date/latest information by uploading the most interesting photos or videos related to mangrove ecotourism, especially uploading photo spots which was one of the main attractions for tourists to visit, up to date every day and videos uploaded at least once a week were considered effective. The provision of up to date/latest information considered important because one of the priorities was to attract public attention to the information presented and as evidence of the seriousness of ecotourism in utilizing social networking as a promotional media so that it was expected that it can increase interest in visiting (Indrawati, et al., 2017). An information was presented seems outdated and was updated less frequently, it will be difficult to get the attention of followers. A content will look attractive if it displayed new and active content so that it made a good impression to attract visitors (Elvetta, et al., 2018).  Table 5 showed that the sub-criteria collaboration were prioritized on Instagram and Facebook Ecotourism Mempawah Mangrove Park, they were repost things that were conveyed by followers related to mangrove ecotourism. Meanwhile what was prioritized on Instagram and Facebook of Polaria Tanjung  Mangrove Park had not been effective so it needs to be improved. The increase in giving re-post of things conveyed by followers related to mangrove ecotourism can be performed by re-uploading the best photos to accounts that tagged Instagram and Facebook of Mempawah Mangrove Park. Re-post/share performed repeatedly or at least once a day was considered effective in attracting public attention (Indrawati, et al., 2017).
Re-post the things conveyed by followers regarding to mangrove ecotourism was considered important because it can help the manager's job in finding ideas in creating content, with the technique of repost/share, the manager can easily get content instantly with good quality, of course this can create Instagram account of Mempawah Mangrove Park was a quality account and was in demand by many followers, besides that this repost/share technique can strengthen branding, which means that more and more people testified to the Mempawah Mangrove Park Instagram account and marked their posts on the Mempawah Mangrove Park account, which means more followers' strong love for Ecotourism of Mempawah Mangrove Park, so that added a good image to the Mempawah Mangrove Park account in the eyes of followers. The technique of re-post/share with people who provided testimonial experiences with the aim of providing information, references and as an attraction for potential visitors to be more interested in visiting Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism, so they want to also visit (Kurniawati, 2016).
The activity of marking/tagging someone on posts related to mangrove ecotourism was prioritized because these sub-criteria were not yet effective compared to other sub-criteria. To be seen from the upload of Instagram and Facebook, they tagged more followers than tagged tourist accounts that were mostly followed by Indonesians. Based on the above problems, there was a need for an increase in tagging someone on posts related to ecotourism which were widely followed by Indonesians such as @pesonaindonesiaofficial accounts with 284 thousand followers, @genpi_id with 31.4 thousand followers and @west_kalimantan with 11.1 thousand followers. Marking/tagging someone who was widely followed by the community was considered important and effective by respondents because it can indirectly promote ecotourism and provided the potential for the post to be seen and followed by more people (Arifah & Mustikarini, 2016).  Table 6 showed that the sub-criteria connection that prioritized on Instagram and Facebook of Mempawah Mangrove Park Ecotourism was asked for opinions/suggestions from followers, while on Instagram and Facebook of Polaria Tanjung Pagar Ecotourism delivered positive things such as planting activities, cleaning ecotourism locations, student visits, and posting awards obtained by ecotourism. The activity of asking for opinions/suggestions from followers by making a story or status on the homepage by writing a caption of input/suggestions for Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism had not yet been implemented. Based on these problems, it was necessary to implement at least once a month in asking for opinions/suggestions from followers by making a story or status on the homepage by writing input/suggestion captions for Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism. Asking for opinions/suggestions from followers was considered important because suggestions or input make ecotourism develop and get better and increase followers' trust, by accepting criticism and suggestions and then trying to improve them, initially followers may be less pleased with the services offered then trust again ( Sarie, 2018).
Conveyed positive things. Conveying positive things such as planting activities performed by managers, surrounding communities or ecotourism visitors, cleaning ecotourism location, student visits, and posting awards obtained by ecotourism. The above activities had not been implemented effectively, seen from the uploads, which were approximately 57 uploads on Instagram and approximately 23 uploads on Facebook, these activities were not performed every day, while the opinion stated that they conveyed positive things that were effective which repeated at least once a day ( Indrawati, et al., 2017). Conveying positive things was considered important by respondents because it indicated an active ecotourism which made people interested in visiting. This was effective in increasing interest in the products/services offered (Kurniawan, 2017). Conveying positive things was performed to create a positive impression and create a good relation for a long time (Atiko, et al., 2016).

The Determination of Paired Comparison Weight on Alternatives
The determination of the value of this importance level resulted in the weighted value of each criterion. The third level in the hierarchy that had been compiled was to formulate alternative priorities for promotional activities through social networking at Mempawah Mangrove Park (MMP) or Polaria Tanjung Pagar (PTP) ecotourism in increasing tourist visits. The calculation results were seen in the table below:  Table 7 showed that the alternatives that were prioritized on Instagram and Facebook of Mempawah Mangrove Park Ecotourism or Polaria Tanjung Pagar were Context Strategies. Context strategy on Instagram and Facebook of Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar was to provide informative information such as photo spots and mangrove types. In addition to providing information such as spots and types of mangroves, it was necessary to provide information such as facilities on ecotourism, making bio and creating interesting content. Facilities at Mempawah Mangrove Park ecotourism included parking lots, public toilets, trash cans, gazebos, canteens, reading parks, playgrounds, prayer rooms, towers, canoes, as well as mangrove tracks and facilities at Polaria Tanjung Pagar ecotourism included parking lots, trash bins, public toilets, hall, souvenir place, gazebo, and mangrove track. Bio was made by including the operational time and the price of the ecotourism entrance ticket.
Creating interesting content on Instagram and Facebook accounts was considered effective as a promotional strategy (Indrawati, et al., 2017). Interesting content need to use a good camera or hired a photographer to get interesting photos and videos, then uploaded it at a scheduled time and required skilled or specialized employees in managing promotional activities through social networking. Facebook was considered effective for uploading videos with a long duration compared to Instagram (Marta, 2015;Atiko, et al., 2015). However, the obstacles faced by the two eco-tourists were the quality of human resources (HR) that were not yet qualified to perform ecotourism promotion activities through social networking. So that the need to improve the skills of Human Resources (HR) at Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar by conducting training or providing comparative studies for employees to other ecotourism to increase knowledge and skills.

CONCLUSIONS
The main priority on the Instagram and Facebook criteria for Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar was the context criteria. The main priority in the Instagram and Facebook sub-criteria context at Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar was to provide informative information such as photo spots and mangrove species. The main priority for the Instagram and Facebook alternatives at Mempawah Mangrove Park or Polaria Tanjung Pagar was a context strategy. Human Resources (HR) at Mempawah Mangrove Park and Polaria Tanjung Pagar were not yet qualified to perform ecotourism promotion activities through social networking.

RECOMMENDATION
Mempawah Mangrove Park Ecotourism and Polaria Tanjung Pagar need to prioritize alternative context strategies in providing promotional activities on social networking such as increasing the provision of informative information such as photo spots and types of mangroves as well as providing other information such as facilities on ecotourism, making biographies and creating interesting content. In addition, Mempawah Mangrove Park and Polaria Tanjung Pagar ecotourism needs to improve the skills of Human Resources (HR) through training or comparative studies for employees to other ecotourism.