COMMUNICATION PATTERNS OF TOURISM LITERACY EMBODYING ISLAMIC VALUES CONSTRUCTED BY COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM AWARENESS GROUPS (POKDARWIS) OF RIVER ENTHUSIASTS

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of communication rituals in constructing community-based Islamic tourism literacy in Cibuluh Tourism Village, Tanjungsiang District, Subang Regency, particularly through the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) and river enthusiast community. The study employed a qualitative method within a constructivist paradigm, using Dell Hymes’ ethnography of communication design combined with James Carey’s concept of ritual communication. Data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, documentation, and focus group discussions involving 12 key and supporting informants. The data were analyzed through data reduction, coding, thematic analysis, and narrative discourse analysis, supported by source, method, and theoretical triangulation. The findings indicate that Pokdarwis, together with religious leaders, village government officials, Karang Taruna, and the river enthusiast community, constructs communication rituals through the Sukur Sungai speech event, integrating muhasabah, istighasah, and closing prayers. The ritual serves as a generative core in the formation of an Islamic tourism literacy ecosystem while shifting communication from information transmission toward the maintenance of shared meanings. The study recommends strengthening ritual institutions, enhancing community communication capacity, developing digital documentation, and integrating Islamic values with environmental conservation in participatory and sustainable destination development. Accordingly, the ritual communication model can be replicated in other community-based destinations while adapting it consistently, inclusively, and responsively to their respective social, cultural, and ecological characteristics, with a strong orientation toward local sustainability.