Kebumen, July 12th 2025 — Students of the Tourism Master Program at the Graduate School (SPs), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Wahyu Rahtawu and Angeline Louisabethania, participated in The 6th Geotourism Festival and International Conference (Geofest 2025), held from July 9th–12th 2025, in Kebumen, Central Java.
Geofest 2025, under the theme “Discovering Geological Wonders: Promoting Geotourism and Resilience,” served as an international forum for sharing knowledge, experiences, and ideas on geotourism development, geopark management, and strengthening the resilience of tourism destinations.
The event was organized by the Indonesian Geopark Network (JGI), Malaysia Geopark Network (MGN), the Indonesian Association of Geologists (IAGI), and the Indonesian Geotourism Society (MAGI), in collaboration with Ciletuh-Palabuhanratu UNESCO Global Geopark, Kebumen UNESCO Global Geopark, and Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark.
The event began with cultural performances and welcoming remarks, followed by panel sessions featuring speakers from Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia. The forum provided participants with an opportunity to broaden their perspectives on geotourism development practices from various countries and viewpoints.
Wahyu and Angeline, during the event, also met Drs. Hendrie Adji Kusworo, M.Sc., Ph.D., Chief of the Tourism Doctoral Program at UGM Graduate School, who also served as one of the conference panelists. The participation of academics and students in the same forum provided an opportunity to strengthen academic interaction and expand professional networks in the field of tourism studies.
The two students who were attending the conference sessions, presented an article on efforts to promote inclusive tourism in the Ancient Volcano of Nglanggeran area. Their study explored the competencies of tour guides in assisting tourists with sensory impairments as part of efforts to create more inclusive and equitable tourism experiences.
On the final day, participants joined a field trip to explore various tourism potentials within the Kebumen Geopark area. The activities began with a river walk along the Rahayu River in Sendangdalem, followed by a visit to a plantation developed as a Longan Agrotourism destination, where participants also had the opportunity to harvest longan fruit.
The field trip continued with a sea turtle hatchling release at Lembupurwo Beach. Participants then enjoyed the sunset and had dinner together at Menganti Beach.
The series of activities made the students gain academic insights into geotourism and inclusive tourism, and also firsthand experience in understanding nature- and community-based destination management.
Participation in Geofest 2025 provided by the students in the Tourism Master Program at UGM Graduate School with an opportunity to expand their academic and professional networks while enriching their perspectives on the development of inclusive, sustainable, and resilient tourism.
Writer: Angeline Louisabethania
Editor: Arfikahi