The role of digital innovation, local wisdom, and human resources in developing Gayo coffee educational tourism in Takengon, Indonesia

Abstract

The aim of this study is to integrate three strategic dimensions, namely digital innovation, local wisdom, and human resource quality, into the development of educational tourism. The research introduces a new perspective by examining eco-educational tourism in the organic Gayo coffee farming sector in Indonesia. Data were obtained from 150 respondents, including eco-tourism actors and managers, coffee farmers, tourism-based micro, small, and medium enterprises, visitors of educational coffee tourism, and other tourism stakeholders. The findings show that tourist attractions, digital innovation, and human resource quality significantly contribute to the development of educational tourism. However, digital innovation and tourist attractions are not yet fully optimized to enhance destination attractiveness. Tourist attractions mediate the relationship between human resource quality and educational tourism development, but they do not mediate the relationships involving digital innovation or local wisdom. In general, agricultural educational tourism can be applied to various types of commodities. Nevertheless, tourism operators should carefully integrate local wisdom into the design of tourist attractions to ensure cultural authenticity and strengthen visitor engagement.