Meningkatkan Pengetahuan dan Praktik Pemandu Wisata di Desa Parakan Garokgek Purwakarta sebagai Upaya Mensejahterakan Masyarakat Sosial

Abstract

The abstract should end with a comment about the importance of the result or a brief conclusion. Parakan Garokgek Village has various natural, cultural, and community-based tourism potentials that can be developed as community-based tourism attractions. However, these potentials are not yet fully supported by human resource capacity, particularly in terms of knowledge and practice of tour guiding. This community service program aimed to improve the community's basic knowledge and readiness in tour guiding and to support their involvement in the development of the village as a tourism destination. The program employed a participatory approach through several stages, including needs identification, socialization, training, and mentoring. The results showed that the participants gained an initial understanding of basic tour guiding. The community also began to recognize that daily activities, natural resources, and local cultural practices could be developed as tourism attractions with economic value. Although practical guiding skills could not yet be observed optimally due to limited direct interaction with actual tourists. Further programs involving gradual mentoring, guiding practice, and community capacity building are needed to transform the acquired knowledge into practical skills that can support the sustainable development of Parakan Garokgek Village.