Tri Marhaeni Pudji Astuti, Edi Kurniawan, Dewi Liesnoor Setyowati, Mohammad Syifauddin, Amir Machmud
Tolerance tourism can be defined as the activities of character education to observe, to explore, and to learn the tolerance value in Lasem's daily life. The object is living tourism, which is where the tourists can see and directly experience the historical relationships in the society of Lasem, Rembang. Historical tourism occurs through sightseeing and this is now promoted in Lasem, which then becomes one of the main elements of tourism in Rembang. The cultural heritages that can be found here include small Chinese buildings, old Chinese houses, a batik village, and Islamic boarding schools, which mostly have Chinese architecture, altogether reflecting the diversity of this area. Possible issues which frequently emerge in relation to this sort of tourism are 1) How does the life of diversity based on cultural values in a multicultural society play out in Rembang?; and 2) What sort of role does the concept of living tourism in Lasem plays as an aspect of tolerance tourism? A qualitative and cultural research method was used to investigate these issues. The result of this research is, firstly, that the life of diversity in Lasem develops harmoniously with the local cultural values, as reflected in the variety of social activities, economic activity, and the interactions that take place between Javanese, Chinese, and Arab ethnic peoples. Second, there is a strong community of cultural heritage guards who care deeply about the problem of cultural values and the life of diversity in Lasem. Third, the concept of living tourism in Lasem is obvious in the batik industry of Lasem, the life in "Little China", and in the daily social interactions and informal meetings, which illustrate the harmonious life and attractive tolerance of Lasem. In this respect daily life in Lasem can be seen as a model of living tourism, and used to promote a multicultural society and lifestyle diversity, suggesting that the concept of living tourism deserves to be supported and preserved through a variety of means, including government policies. © 2019 Primrose Hall Publishing Group.
Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia; Persatuan Wartawan, Indonesia
