Tourism Promotion Strategy Through Smartphone Application Based on Pentahelix Concept to Revitalize Probolinggo Tourism Sector And Regional Economic Recovery

Abstract

Probolinggo is one of the areas in East Java that has various attractive tourist destinations for local and foreign tourists. However, there are still many tourism objects that are not well known to many people, which is also exacerbated by the domino effect of COVID-19. Data from the Department of Youth, Sports, and Tourism for 2023 shows that the number of tourists in Probolinggo Regency is only around 388 thousand people. Even before the pandemic, the number of tourists had reached 1 million people, dominated by local tourists. It seems that this situation has not been optimally addressed by the local government, causing the realization of Regional Original Revenue (PAD) which only reaches IDR 437 million of the targeted IDR 2.6 billion. The only solution offered is the use of social media and local government websites and it is considered that it has not been able to reach more tourists. Therefore, the E-ProGo application is presented as a win-win solution that focuses on presenting information about tourism objects to make it easier for tourists, while at the same time, also promoting the Probolinggo tourism sector. Thus, it can improve the regional economy. The purpose of this idea is to explain the concept, implementation strategies, and benefits of E- ProGo in regional tourism development in Probolinggo. This scientific paper uses a descriptive writing method with qualitative data types in the social field sourced from secondary data by means of literature studies. The data that has been obtained is then processed and analyzed using the design thinking stage. E-ProGo is an application-based promotional medium for tourism potential in Probolinggo with various excellent features that offer popular and not yet popular tour packages in the Probolinggo area. In its implementation, E-ProGo will apply the pentahelix strategy which will be integrated with various stakeholders. E-ProGo also considers targets with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) analysis. Therefore, the realization of E-ProGo is expected to be able to provide multi-aspect benefits in supporting the realization of the 2030 SDGs and National Economic Recovery (PEN) through the development of a strategic and sustainable regional tourism sector.