Causal Relationship between Development Communication, Social Capital, Digital Capability, and Community-Based Tourism

The development of tourism villages in Indonesia faces structural challenges in the form of limited digitalization, weak integration of the creative economy, and suboptimal participatory development communication. This study aims to analyze efforts to develop digital-based Community-Based Tourism (CBT) through the causal relationship between development communication, social capital, and digital capability in three tourism villages in Bogor Regency, Indonesia. This study used a quantitative approach with a survey design with 86 respondents consisting of rural micro-entrepreneurs who are also tourism village actors. Data analysis was conducted using path analysis to test direct, indirect (mediation), and moderating effects. The results show that development communication has a significant effect on digital-based CBT and digital capability. Digital capability has been shown to have a strong influence on strengthening digital-based CBT and acts as a mediator in the relationship between development communication and CBT. In addition, social capital moderates the relationship between development communication and digital capability, between digital capability and digital-based CBT, and between development communication and digital-based CBT. These findings confirm that the success of digital-based CBT is determined not only by technological capacity, but also by the quality of development communication and the strength of local community social capital.