Ternate City Tourism Destinations, North Maluku

Destination Branding is a branding concept that has the aim of building or improving the quality of a tourist destination, the City of Ternate is also a city that has potential in the tourism sector and is currently active in developing its tourism sector, by conducting Destination Branding with the aim of realizing the achievement Ternate City Mission. Data were collected by means of observation and in-depth interviews with the tourism office and local community members with predetermined criteria.

As part of efforts to improve Destination Branding which is considered to have an important role in tourism development efforts in Ternate City. This study uses a qualitative method, a qualitative approach is used in order to obtain as complete information as possible about tourism in Ternate City through Destination Branding. The results of this study reveal that Ternate City Tourism applies Destination Branding which is already good, because the Ternate City Tourism Office has been good at building Tourist Destinations to become National Tourism objects.

Introduction

Ternate City is a city in North Maluku Province, which is in the eastern part of this country. Ternate was also the temporary capital of North Maluku from 1999 to 2010. On August 4, 2010, Sofifi became the capital of North Maluku, replacing Ternate, which had long been the capital. Most people who visit Ternate always want to join Ron's tour (local language means, Circling) Mount It takes about an hour to get around the island by motorbike, either by using a guide from the local area (Ternate city community) or exploring on your own, not a problem the reason is that in Ternate there will never be such a thing as missing a road, it is enough to follow one existing road and it will come out in one place. Unique Wins because the city of Ternate itself has an area of 111, 4 square kilometers and the span is 41 kilometers. By circling Ternate, visitors will enjoy its own sensation because on the left and right sides of the city of Ternate, you will be presented with expanses of mountains and seas that pass as wide as enveloping the city, so no doubt the city of Ternate is called the Waterfront City.

The city of Ternate itself is a city that is also widely referred to as the city of spices, we can know this in the history of the colonial era from the Portuguese, Spanish to the Dutch who were very interested in the city full of spices.

The historical heritage stored in the city of Ternate is no less interesting, there are forts that were used in the colonial era as defense from enemy attacks and also as a hiding place from enemies and as a storehouse of spices.

Cloves and Nutmeg do grow very well and are abundant in North Maluku, have spread to Tidore and other areas of northern Maluku.

Quoted from the Journal of Education and History Volume 16, No. 2 September 2020 Natalia Rahman Damayanti said: "If the thread is pulled back, the existence of Ternate began with the establishment of the Sultanate of Ternate in the 13th century which made this city the center of government until now, the Sultanate of Ternate. established by getting a lot of Islamic influence from Arab traders and by carrying out the Islamic sharia government which later became a great royal power in the Eastern Archipelago, even Ternate's territory reached the Marshall Islands region in the Philippines." The Sultanate of Ternate is one of the few Islamic kingdoms in Indonesia that still exists today, and is one of the few kingdoms. Ternate is known as a city of culture because it still has a sultanate system and a valid government system.

This makes Ternate one of the places in Indonesia that people want to visit and learn about the social conditions of the people there. Also, this city has two people who make decisions and policies for the development and progress of Ternate City. It's not always easy to go well. The reason is, the article states that the Ternate City government must first cooperate with the sultanate in policies that include culture, such as development that must include cultural elements, therefore the Tourism Office will continue to cooperate with the Government and the Sultanate because the city of Ternate is very obedient to the rules. which is in the city of Ternate.

This city has two people who make decisions and policies for the development and progress of the City of Ternate. It's not always easy to go well. The reason is, the article states that the Ternate City government must first cooperate with the sultanate in policies that include culture, such as development that must include cultural elements, therefore the Tourism Office will continue to cooperate with the Government and the Sultanate because the city of Ternate is very obedient to the rules. which is in the city of Ternate.

People also still believe in the myths of the city that is in it, for example in the Sultan mosque, famous for its supple sultanate. This is reinforced by the myth that it is forbidden for women to worship in the sultan's mosque, the mosque is intended only for men. because in addition to the Royal City which is still standing strong, Ternate also has a fort inherited from the Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish because in the 15th century ago Ternate was also a colony for the struggle for the abundant cloves and nutmeg Spices, during the trading era it was also one of the Sultan who at that time served and approved all trade transactions with foreign nations Sultan Khairun Jamil was assassinated at Kastela Fort by the Portuguese on February 28, 1570, 452 years ago.

Castle

In addition to being rich in Nature and History, Ternate is also very striking, according to Rustam A Gani (Tourism Office for the Se Atorang custom of Ternate City in his interview quoted from Cermat.com) stating that Local Wisdom (values, rules) is important for the Sultanate of Ternate, just as Pancasila is important for Indonesia. There are three types of Local Wisdom: Adat se aorang (adat based on rules), Adat sebasung (things related to kasabarung), galib selakudi, cing se ngare, sere de duniru, baboso serasai, cara a se ngale, , loa se bannar, sorrow se love, baso se hornat, bari (gotong royong).

Then there are brand destinations according to Illianchenko (2005) Destination Branding is divided into three elements, namely:

Culture is a complex and homogeneous unit that includes knowledge, religion, art, morality, laws and regulations, conventions, and other capabilities possessed by every society. According to Goeldner et al. (2000), effective tourism is not only about having better transportation and infrastructure, but also about preserving traditional ways of life and incorporating certain images that help visitors, such as goods or services.

History or history, by producing an unforgettable experience for travelers, history may be one of the most interesting aspects and a rich tool (Illiachenko, 2005: 6). Historic locations, myths, and legends all contribute to a stunning romantic encounter.

Nature or Nature, Tom Power (2006) argues that the reason people travel is to enjoy the beauty of nature, especially mountains and the sea. Iliachenko (2005) distinguishes three distinct components of the experienced environment and considers many destinations as Primary and Immutable in terms of physiography (nature and layout), climate (seasonal weather, extreme humidity, drought, and wind), and community as residents and potential tourists.

so that based on the values mentioned above, including local wisdom, it functions as a guide for community action and as a component of community development based on local knowledge. These values are considered important to be incorporated into people's daily lives, because they originate from the creation, development, and maintenance of various community values. This is the compass of their life (Aprianto, 2008). From this, it is not surprising that people still glorify Thursday or better known as Friday night, which in Ternate City itself will become a very quiet and lonely city, the series of activities is limited, especially for the elderly and even parents who will prohibit children. they go out that day until late at night.

According to RI Law NO. 9 of 1990 concerning tourism, namely "there are two types of tourist objects and tourist attractions, namely objects and tourist attractions created by God Almighty in the form of natural conditions, namely flora and fauna and tourist attractions created by humans in the form of museums of ancient relics or fortresses. -a relic fortress.” History of art and culture, Agrotourism, new tourism, adventure tourism in nature, recreation parks, and amusement parks. In addition, the City of Ternate has met the standards in total from these two points. Currently, the Ternate City Tourism Office with assistance from the local government is developing infrastructure and expanding tourist areas in various tourist attractions in Ternate City.

However, the current obstacle is that the city of Ternate is not yet known to the public because the distance between the Indonesian capital and Jakarta is very far. The boat ride takes 7 days 6 nights. And the plane with a distance of 2 hours and 45 minutes. Therefore, very few tourists who intend to vacation without planning to visit a city with special attractions or considerations choose the city of Ternate, perhaps a destination that is closer and affordable they will choose, such as Labuan Bajo or Sumba. Eastern Region but has a more capable range and views that are no less beautiful. This is still the main task of the Tourism Office to continue to promote the City of Ternate with the infrastructure in it. Quoted from Meilina Abdul Halim regarding his research entitled "Study of the potential and prospects of tourism development in Ternate City, North Maluku (Study of the Ternate City Tourism Office)" he wrote, But unfortunately there are still some challenges and problems that have just been faced by the Ternate city government which impact on city tourism, These problems can be classified into two categories: external problems and internal problems. External difficulties include macroeconomic difficulties caused by the multifaceted crisis that has not subsided, lack of public awareness of the importance of government-supported tourism activities and healthy competition between regions that have the same potential for tourist attractions, while internal difficulties include lack of supporting facilities. in the object area,

Appropriate steps, one of which is branding, are needed to foster a good city image. Not to be outdone by the neighboring area, the Ternate City Tourism Office recently launched a new logo and slogan called "Ternate City of Spices". Inaugurated in front of the Ternate mayor's office, Sunday 5 December 2021 to coincide with the 771st anniversary of Ternate City. The branding concept of "Ternate, the City of Spices" comes from the philosophy of the city which is a reminder that the formation of the City of Ternate was due to Spices.

With the Ternate City of Spice logo, it is hoped that tourists and even local residents when they see Cloves and Nutmeg can remember Ternate. because every city has its own memory which is where tourists and even people outside Ternate City can have the will to visit the city due to curiosity and branding of the city image that is in them. Quoted from Indotimur.com The inauguration of the Ternate City Spice logo by the Tourism Office as a City Anniversary celebration was held for 3 days at Oranje Fort, enlivened by several local dances, filled with music events by local people, and food sales as an effort to increase MSMEs available and don't forget to give free 5000 Ternate special spice drinks, namely Nutmeg Seed Drink to every visitor who attends, to remind the public that spices do have their own taste. the event was successful and smoothly carried out and the new logo has branded the City of Ternate with the slogan City of Spices.

Long story short about the Slogan changes. Ternate has long had a brand positioning that changes from time to time. If drawn from the 80's, according to Lecturer of Management, University of Khairun Ternate in his journal entitled "Branding Ternate Through Self-Brand Connection".