TANTANGAN PADA INISIASI KERJA SAMA SISTER PROVINCE ANTARA NUSA TENGGARA BARAT DAN NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA DI BIDANG PARIWISATA

Baiq Sahidatin Hasanah, 2025, 202010360311339, University of Muhammadiyah Malang, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Internasional Relations Study Program, Challenges in Initiating Sister Province Cooperation Between West Nusa Tenggara and Northern Territory of Australia in the Tourism Sector, Supervisor: Shannaz Mutiara Deniar, M.A.
Regional autonomy provides opportunities for regions to establish international cooperation with various parties abroad. With regional autonomy, the central government grants flexibility to local governments to engage in international cooperation to support development at the local level. In this context, various local governments have established partnerships with international counterparts, particularly governments of the same level, under the framework of sister provinces and sister cities with a focus on diverse fields of cooperation. One such local government is the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara, which has partnered with the Government of Northern Territory of Australia in the fields of tourism, economy, livestock, and human resource capacity building, as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This study aims to examine the challenges faced by the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara in its sister province cooperation with the Government of Northern Territory of Australia in one of the areas of cooperation, namely tourism. This study uses a descriptive qualitative research method and utilizes various primary and secondary sources. Using the paradiplomacy political concept by Takdir Ali Mukti, the study finds that the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara did not face procedural challenges. At the initiation stage, the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara followed all procedures in accordance with cooperation mechanisms under the regulations. Challenges instead arose from external factors, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Most challenges occurred at the implementation stage in various forms, including inadequate communication and coordination between institutions, insufficient regulations, disparities in human resources, underdeveloped infrastructure and amenities, limited accessibility, lack of promotion and marketing, institutional and procedural limitations, difficulties in adopting tourism management models, and issues regarding the safety and comfort of tourists.
Keywords: Paradiplomacy, Sister Province, West Nusa Tenggara, Tourism