A Study On The Potential Of The Usat Liberty Shipwreck Dive Site As A Tourist Attraction, Tulamben Village, Karangasem Regency, Bali

Abstract

Tourist attractions are specific aspects of a destination’s resource potential that possess uniqueness, beauty, and value, and serve as the primary reason or motivation for tourists to visit a particular destination. These attractions are the core and main driving force of a destination’s tourism sector. Over time, the development of tourist attractions has largely prioritized various tourism components located on land, along the coast, or underwater—particularly coral reefs. However, there is one underutilized potential: shipwreck dive sites. These sites possess their own unique characteristics, and if properly marketed, they could attract a large number of tourists—particularly scuba divers. One such attraction is the USAT Liberty shipwreck dive site in Tulamben Village, Karangasem Regency, which has not yet been fully managed as both a diving and historical site. The objective of this study is to examine the combination of historical value (the shipwreck) and underwater biodiversity as the primary factors attracting scuba divers. The research employed direct field observation methods, including diving and data collection in the form of photographs of the USAT Liberty Shipwreck shipwreck. The results of these direct observations were then documented through photographs taken during the dives.