Formulation of Operational Risk Management Strategy For Lava Tour Merapi Yogyakarta

Abstract

Yogyakarta is a tourist destination in Indonesia with a significant contribution to the development of Indonesian tourism performance, which is increasingly recognized worldwide. As one of Yogyakarta's tourism icons, the Merapi Lava Tour has emerged as a special interest tourism destination with its adrenaline-pumping characteristics, very suitable for the tastes of risk-seeking tourists. This tour provides the experience of exploring the former eruption area of Mount Merapi by jeep, offering a unique and memorable attraction that attracts the attention of domestic and international tourists. Despite its charm of enjoying the beauty of the peak of Merapi by jeep on challenging terrain, Lava Tour Merapi is faced with operational risks that if not managed properly will impact its resilience and sustainability, especially in the era of the rise of social media users. This study aims to identify the operational risks of Lava Tour Merapi Yogyakarta and map them in a risk evaluation matrix. This study uses a exploratory research design in collecting cross-sectional data. Data taken using the concurrent triangulation strategy technique based on purposive sampling. Based on the identification and mapping that has been formed, this study formulates the operational risk management strategy for Lava Tour Merapi Yogyakarta based on operational risk triggers related to internal processes, human resources, systems, supporting facilities and infrastructure. The operational risk identification results indicate that for both low and high-frequency risk events, the impact is still relatively low, so the appropriate operational risk management strategies implemented by managers are the mitigate and keep strategies (risk handling).

Keywords: Lava Tour Merapi; Risk evaluation matrix; Operational Risk Management Strategy; Yogyakarta;