On February 22, 2024, our institute invited Dr. Rahmawati Husein from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta in Indonesia, to deliver a lecture on the topic of 'Resilient Tourism Communities'. Dr. Husein, who also serves as a consultant for the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center, graduated with a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. Her research expertise is in disaster management.
Dr. Rahmawati provided an in-depth discussion on how the Indonesian tourism industry, facing multiple disaster challenges such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions, and the COVID-19 pandemic, has adapted and transformed to enhance the resilience of communities. She suggested the critical actions within the four phases of disaster management - prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery - from economic, social, and environmental perspectives. Dr. Husein emphasized that the cornerstone of community resilience lies in the normalization of comprehensive capacity building, secure funding, trust and support among stakeholders, and the full participation of social capital, including public and community networks. These efforts not only reduce the community's vulnerability in the face of disasters but also promote sustainable development.