Tourism Carrying Capacity of Torean Hiking Trail, Mount Rinjani National Park

Abstract

The Torean hiking trail is the newest hiking trail in Mount Rinjani National Park (TNGR). Hiking ecotourism can be an environmentally friendly alternative in managing national parks; however, if it is not adequately supervised, overtourism will occur, degrading the environment and reducing the quality of the visitor experience. To prevent this, it is necessary to know the number of visits allowed by calculating the carrying capacity of the hiking trail and ensuring the capacity is maintained. The data processing technique uses the carrying capacity calculation method by Cifuentes with modifications and correction factors that are suitable for hiking tourism. The results showed that the Torean lama hiking trail (Torean post-Sembalun Torean junction) has a physical carrying capacity of 4,516 people/day, a real carrying capacity of 532 people/day, and an effective carrying capacity of 372 people/day. In comparison, the Torean Baru hiking trail (Birisan Nangka Sembalun Torean junction) has a physical carrying capacity of 4,165 people/day, a real carrying capacity of 333 people/day, and an effective carrying capacity of 233 people/day. The carrying capacity is higher than the actual visitation levels; therefore, tourism activities on the Torean hiking trail do not indicate over-tourism in terms of the number of visits.