of Management Issues

Purpose: The study reported in this article sought to examine the current state of Botutonuo Beach in the Province of Gorontalo, Indonesia, and develop a digital-based marketing strategy that allows attractions of the beach to be open to potential worldwide tourists. The beach is a popular tourist destination in the province, yet limited information about the beach is available online. Design/Method/Approach: A design-based research method was employed in the study. To collect data, observations and semi-structured interviews with four locals who were also organizing the beach were used; while for the analysis, a thematic analysis approach was utilized. Findings: Findings revealed three main themes that best describe aspects of Botutonuo Beach tourism sites that need improvement, namely accessibility, facilities, and convenience, as well as showed what important information that needs to be included on the beach website. Practical Implications: It is expected that the website can be used by the beach management and local government to foster the promotion of Botutonuo Beach. It is also hoped that the findings, in general, may encourage active participation by the beach visitors and local government to ensure effective management of the beach so that national and international recognition can be obtained. Originality/Value: The study proposed development of a website that helps in promoting Botutonuo Beach as one of the popular tourist destinations in Gorontalo. Research Limitations/Future Research: Future research examining the efficacy of this website development is a potential research topic to undertake. Paper Type: Empirical


Introduction
ourism is a remarkable catalyst for economic growth (Tirado Ballesteros & Hernández, 2019;Merino & Prats, 2020). It helps a country in generating its revenue, creating job opportunities, improving a country's infrastructure, and fostering a sense of cultural interaction between the locals and visitors (Insani, Ariani, Arachman, & Wibowo, 2020). Nowadays, a large number of people travel to different tourist sites for many reasons (Goeldner & Ritchie, 2007), but one of the main ones is to enjoy coastal places. Over the past few years, there has been a rise in global public awareness of the need to use and manage such places responsibly, which has led to a need for usage and management that permits use by numerous tourists while also being environmentally friendly (Hengky, 2017).
In the context of Indonesia, a beach is one of the key leading tourism sectors. It is included in the 10 priority National Tourism Strategic Areas of the country (Ismowati et. al., 2022), a policy that aims to accelerate economic growth. Bali and Lombok are among the favorite tourist destinations which bring in tourists to enjoy their beach tourism, while others are located in several provinces, including that in the Province of Gorontalo, Botutonuo Beach. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations located in Botutonuo Village, Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia. The beach resembles the natural and cultural diversity of the region (Talib, 2019;Eraku, et. al., 2021). The white sand and coconut trees along the beach and other types of plants are some examples of the natural diversity which stand out (Talib, 2019;Eraku, et. al., 2021).
The cultural diversity of the beach, on the other hand, is reflected in the form of how the locals build their houses which are very close to the beach and form a specific pattern, and how they run their life and interact with one another (Soukotta & Bagulu, 2018). Owing to these natural and cultural potentials for tourists to experience, the local government commits to promoting Botutonuo Beach as part of a national strategic plan for developing marine tourism in Indonesia (Talib, 2019). Developing this marine-based tourism helps in facilitating economic improvement of the region and the locals, in particular, through the provision of employment opportunities (Kusuma, Arham & Dai, 2020).
To make Botutonuo Beach a popular tourist destination, information about it needs to be delivered digitally as the ease of finding tourism information in the country is a dominant factor in determining the number of tourists visiting the country (Surentu, Warouw & Rembang, 2020). The development of a website for Botutonuo Beach is thus expected to increase the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting the beach. It is hoped that with the development of a website, all matters of public interest can be accessed by outsiders as the functions and purposes of the website are intended to be accessible to everyone (Muhamadin, 2018, as cited in Rizaldy & Rahman, 2021.
Our initial observations show that no website provides information about Botutonuo Beach tourism. The lack of publications through digital media makes it difficult to deliver information to prospective tourists who will visit the beach. In addition, limited information can be elicited from existing studies that focus on developing digital-based marketing strategies to facilitate beach promotion as a popular tourist destination in Gorontalo. To fill this void, we proposed the present study.

Marketing Strategy
arketing strategy is defined in a variety of ways. According to Kotler and Singh (1981), marketing strategy defines the target market and value proposition to be delivered based on the analysis of the best market opportunities. It encompasses market segmentation and targeting decisions as well as the creation of positioning strategies based on the marketing mix (Slater & Olson, 2001). Marketing strategy has a pattern of organizational choices about products, markets, marketing activities, and marketing resources in creation, communication, and/or delivery of products that add value to customer interactions with the organization and thus enable the organization to achieve certain goals (Varadarajan, 2009). In short, it is "a central instrument for directing and coordinating marketing efforts" (Saleh & Miah Said, 2019, p. 19).
To be effective in facing competition, marketing strategies must be developed around the concepts of the market, target market, and market positioning (Saleh & Miah Said, 2019). Market segmentation aims to group markets according to the same criteria such as demographic, sociological, and psychological factors so that businesses can satisfy consumers in the selected or served market segments. It will be more successful by focusing on a few market segments and developing a marketing mix (product, price, promotion, and distribution) that satisfies consumer needs (Pasigai, 2010).

Digital Information as a Platform for Business Promotion
n today's world, information and communication technology is closely related to people's lives. Current advances in information and communication technology have brought about beneficial changes in various aspects of people's daily lives, for example, the increased use of web-based media as a source of information and communication (Samodra & Hermanto, 2019). According to APJII (Association of Indonesian Internet Service Providers), in the 2019-2020 period, internet users in Indonesia are estimated to have reached 73.7% of the total population, after reaching 54.68% in 2017 (Puspawati & Ristanto, 2018). With this large number of information technology users, Indonesia is a potential market for developing businesses that market their products/services online. For the government, this is an excellent opportunity to provide information and promote its strategic business sectors such as tourism (Puspawati & Ristanto, 2018). Through digital information such as websites, tourism sector marketing can reach a wider and faster target market.
A website is one type of digital information that can be used in tourism marketing. A lot of research has been conducted on the usage of websites to promote a tourism sector. Kuryanti and Indriani (2018), for example, investigated how to create a website to promote tourism on Jatimalang Beach. The findings of this study are presented as a website product that includes information about the beauty of Jatimalang Beach as well as social media links that make it simpler to find similar information and sponsored media. Mingkid (2015) conducted another study that looked into the usage of websites as a medium for tourism promotion in Manado City. This study found that one of the obstacles associated with tourism promotion in Manado City is the lack of quality supporting facilities for promotional activities such as websites. This study recommends developing a tourism website to provide tourism information, promotion, and agendas for Manado City.
Another study was conducted by Oktaviani and Fatchia (2019), who examined the efficiency of employing digital media such as websites to promote Umbul Ponggok tourism in Klaten Regency, Central Java. The findings of this study show that the website has a beneficial impact on promoting Umbul Ponggok tourism, and they recommend that the website's quality of content such as photo and video quality as well as price information for these attractions be improved.

Research Questions
he purpose of this research is to reveal Botutonuo Beach's current promotion strategy and what steps need to be taken to improve the promotion strategy. In this study, therefore, there are two key questions addressed: (a) What aspects of Botutonuo Beach are considered important for improvement? (b) In what form does the beach promotion need to utilize digital information-based marketing?

Data and Methods
DBR or design-based research method was utilized in this study. According to Reeves (2000;2006), the DBR uses the power of "reflection" to answer identified problems and provide solutions to these problems through design exploration. The DBR is used to develop and inform the implementation of an innovation, in this case, the development of a marketing strategy in the form of digital information (website) to promote Botutonuo Beach tourism. To collect data, observation and an in-depth semi-structured interview technique were used. Observations were done to capture the current conditions of the beach, while interviews involving four locals were intended to elicit rich information about the beach management. These interview participants voluntarily agreed to take part in this present study. They were chosen because they met the objective of the present study. Unlike the quantitative research approach which counts on statistical analysis and rather a big number of participants, this present qualitative-driven research focuses on examining how individuals make meaning of their lived experience and explain a particular phenomenon in its natural settings.
To analyze the data, a thematic analysis was used as it helps in examining themes or patterns of meaning in the data (Maguire & Delahunt, 2017). The analysis goes beyond simply counting phrases or words in a text (as in content analysis) but explores explicit and implicit meanings of data (Maguire & Delahunt, 2017). Six stages of thematic analysis were carried out (Braun & Clarke, 2006), namely: (1) Understanding the data; (2) Creating code; (3) Searching for themes; (4) Reviewing the theme; (5) Describing the theme, and (6) Writing a final report.

Results and Discussion
The important aspects of Botutonuo Beach that needs improvement e found three major themes to address the first research question, namely accessibility, facilities, and convenience. The development of tourist attractions cannot be separated from the issue of accessibility or facilities, which are essential components of tourist attractions (Ariesta, Sukotjo & Suleman, 2020). Among the most important factors in attracting tourists are strategic location, easy access to information and communication, guaranteed security, and ease of transportation (Hidayat, Chalil & Sutomo, 2017). Accessibility aspect. Accessibility refers to the proximity of the beach location to the city center. One of the most important factors influencing tourists' decision to return to a tourist destination is its accessibility (Hidayat et al, 2017). Botutonuo Beach is not difficult to find. Only one road leads to this beach, which also leads to Gorontalo's port. The beach is also easily accessible because the road is paved, despite being narrow with two lanes in opposite directions and hilly. When approaching the beach, visitors can enjoy a beautiful coastline on the right side, and shady hills on the left side. Botutonuo Beach can be reached by motorbike, car, or bus, which takes about 25 minutes from the center of Gorontalo City.

Source: Personal documentation
There are 8 (eight) entrances to the beach, which the locals call Lorong. Tourists can find signs for the Lorong or alleys a few meters from the main entrance gate: Lorong 1, Lorong 2, Lorong 3, Lorong 4, Lorong 5, and Lorong 6. Lorong 7 and Lorong 8 are two new alleys that are still under construction. Because the distance between these eight alleys is short, tourists can walk along the beach and enjoy the beauty of the beach in each alleyway (Fig. 2).

Source: Personal documentation
Although this beach has become a popular tourist destination, particularly among locals, little information is available about it. Botutonuo Beach attraction information is typically obtained from colleagues or family members who live in Gorontalo. Tourists, generally, do not look for information about Botutonuo Beach on a specific website in the absence of any information about this tourist area. Photos and reviews uploaded by other tourists who have visited Botutonuo Beach are used as references. Unfortunately, when visitors demand detailed information about the beach, such as whether or not the beach is family-friendly and whether visitors can get souvenirs or withdraw money from the beach, they may not have complete answers to satisfy their curiosity.
Facilities aspect. Botutonuo Beach tourist area has several facilities that are generally available at beach tourism locations, such as huts/gazebos, toilets, parking lots, food stalls, and water activity equipment (tires and boats). Tourist facilities play an important role in creating a quality tourist area. The better the facilities are provided to visitors, the better the image of the tourist destination is. The availability of facilities at tourist sites can encourage potential tourists to visit and enjoy tourist attractions for an extended period (Ariesta et al, 2020). Currently, all of the facilities in Botutonuo Beach tourist area are run independently by residents who are members of Botutonuo Beach management organization. As stated by the following informant: "All of the huts along Botutunuo Beach are owned by locals. Toilets, parking lots, tires, boats, and food stalls are among the other facilities along the coast that are administered by the local community." (Informant 1) In order to increase the quality and competitiveness of Botutonuo Beach area, the recreational infrastructure has to be improved. Otherwise, the locals shall compete in attracting visitors who are also keen to visit other beach sites located in a similar regency, which also offer fantastic views facing the sea and tasty cuisine for their customers to enjoy. According to Liutak and Baula (2020), the influence of tourism on macroeconomic indicators is often quite strong and necessitates increasing infrastructure development in order to take full advantage of a potential visitor flow. There are several facilities in Botutonuo that may be improved, including:

Huts/Gazebos
The tourist attraction on Bottonuo Beach has huts/gazebos of varied sizes and qualities along each boardwalk. This facility has a tin roof (made from coconut leaves), and the wall is only approximately 30 cm high (Fig. 3).

Source: Personal documentation
When low tide occurs, the distance between huts/gazebos and the beach is only 5-10 meters. Visitors can see their families swim and play on the beach while taking pictures of the beach views. The prices of huts/gazebos vary among the owners. Rental costs for huts/gazebos increase during peak holiday seasons, according to one of the informants: "The cost of renting a hut/gazebo on typical Saturdays and Sundays is between IDR 50,000 and IDR 100,000 with no rental time limit. The rental rate can be as much as IDR 250,000 for 2hour rental during the peak of the holiday season such as the year-end holidays (December-January). At this time, all of the beach huts are booked." (Informant 1) The owners compete to offer each hut/gazebo additional equipment such as charging stations despite the building's simple shape and low maintenance expenses. This will make it easier for visitors to use technological items they bring with them.
The management of Botutonuo Beach tourist sector, on the other hand, has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of tourists visiting the beach, according to the informant, decreased dramatically during the epidemic.
"We don't have any other job rather than being fishermen or managing this hut. So, when Covid hit, for the most part, we could only clean this beach. It is quiet here." (Informant 1) As a result, the income from hut/gazebo rental services has dropped dramatically. Several huts/gazebos look unattended and damaged.

Toilets
Toilets are one of the most important facilities that must be accessible at tourist destinations. Several toilets are currently available on Botutonuo Beach, however, they are simply placed in the courtyards of residents' homes and managed by the homeowners themselves. According to the informants, the government has recently constructed toilet facilities in several alleys. Visitors are charged Rp. 5,000 per person for using the restroom.

"In addition to the hut, I have a bathroom that tourists can use for Rp. 5,000 per person. However, the village authority has built several new toilets recently." (Informant 2)
According to Sunarsa and Andiani (2019), numerous characteristics may be used to evaluate toilets in public spaces, one of which is a clean, dry floor that is free of garbage, stains, and filth. However, several restrooms on Botutonuo Beach continue to fall short of these standards. The lack of a place for guests to clean themselves before entering the toilet results in a lot of sand on the toilet floor, making it appear dirty and slippery (Fig. 4).

Parking lots
Most visitor parking spaces are located on vacant land between residents' homes. There is a parking lot with a modest wooden building with a roof, but there is also a parking area beneath the shade of coconut trees (Fig. 5). According to one of the informants, the parking lots in this tourist location are managed by local citizens in partnership with the village authorities. The parking fee is set at IDR 5,000 per vehicle.
"In terms of the parking lots, each one has its proprietor. The parking fee is IDR 5,000 for one vehicle." (Informant 1)

Food stalls
The food stalls along the coast of Botutonuo Beach tourist attraction provide simple meal menus such as rice, grilled fish, stirfried veggies, noodles, and fried bananas as well as a variety of drinks such as tea, coffee, and cold drinks; everything is at reasonable prices (Fig. 6). However, the community that runs the food stalls encounters issues such as tourists bringing food from outside the tourist area, thus they only rent a hut/gazebo as a place to sit and socialize on the beach, as stated by the following informant: "There are no restaurants along Botutonuo tourist beach, only small stalls maintained by locals. Although the food is reasonably priced, most visitors bring their food, so this is merely a place to rent." (Informant 2)

Facilities for water activity (tires dan boats)
Tires rental. The residents' association of beach management provides tire rental services in every alley, which visitors can use to swim (Fig. 7). This tire rental business has a lot of potential as a source of revenue for locals, especially during the holiday season. Tourists can experience the beauty of Botutonuo Beach coastline, which is surrounded by a huge stretch of hills, for only Rp. 5,000 per person (Fig. 8). This boat rental service can be a significant source of money for boat owners, particularly as the holiday season approaches.
"My brother owns a boat for visitors to tour the coast. It costs IDR 5,000 per person. He received millions of rupiah from this business, especially during a holiday season." (Informant 2)

Source: Personal documentation
However, boat owners must remain aware of several factors when operating this service, including providing buoys for passengers, restricting the number of passengers, and controlling the boat's feasibility to avoid damage while it is in operation. To sustain the reputation of these tourist destinations, beach managers must be able to encourage beach activities by enacting policies relating to tourist safety (Nakapthom et al., 2019).
The convenience aspect is another important factor that can bring added value to the tourism industry. The first factor, convenience, is linked to the hygiene of tourist attractions. According to our informants, maintaining the beach's cleanliness is one of the efforts done by the locals to provide comfort for visitors.
"Each of us is responsible for the cleanliness around the huts that we have." (Informant 1) The hut's owner supplies a trash bin to encourage tourists to contribute to the beach's cleanliness. Nonetheless, a significant majority of visitors fail to take advantage of the services that have been provided. The number of tourists, especially during peak seasons, is the second aspect that can affect visitors' comfort levels while visiting Botutonuo Beach tourist attraction. The density and pollution that emerge from the great number of visitors are ones of the problems that typically arise in beach tourism objects. Therefore, detecting any potential beach problems is very important to maintain and improve beach comfort (Brscic & Sugar, 2020).
In addition to a high number of tourists, this discomfort on the beach is exacerbated by people's use of musical instruments and sound systems (Fig. 9). Multiple groups of visitors in the same alley may turn up the music to a sufficiently loud level.
"When there are too many people, the conditions around the beach become quite crowded, coupled with the music performed by the guests. Some guests eventually decide to move to a quieter alley." (Informant 4) Figure 9: Visitors on Botutonuo Beach during the holiday season

Source: Personal documentation
The third factor related is a safety aspect in the tourist area. Botutonuo Beach tourism area is relatively safe, having shallow and non-rocky beaches. The parking areas are managed and looked out by the locals. Conditions around the huts/gazebos are also generally under control although the number of visitors who travel is quite dense. However, visitors should remain careful because there are no special officers on duty to ensure security on this beach.

The use of digital information-based marketing on Botutonuo Beach
Based on the findings of informants' interviews, the marketing strategy of Botutonuo Beach tourist attraction remains simple. It is that visitors learn about the existence of this beach through information from others. The information available on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are still limited, and it is based on personal experience rather than information handled by the government or specific tourism management. The local community does not run any promotions to promote the amenities available on the beach, as told by one of the informants: "I do not promote this tourist attraction in any way." (Informant 1) This situation highlights the necessity for a coordinated marketing strategy to increase awareness of potential and facilities on Botutonuo Tourism Beach. Promotional strategies that function well will facilitate tourism development by attracting tourists, increasing the number of visits, and accelerating the industry's growth (Purnama et al, 2020). Given that Botutonuo tourist attraction's marketing efforts have been limited thus far, creating a website is a vital step to take. The growth of Internet technology has made it more common for businesses to create websites for a variety of purposes, including the tourism sector (Dronova & Trygub, 2020). According to Jamshidi (2008), as cited in Vila et al (2021), around 70% of online tourists start their search before deciding where to go or how to travel. Consequently, a new action model to promote Botutonuo Beach is needed as a result of these new trends. A website helps the beach provide detailed information that visitors may want to find out at any time before deciding to come.
Tourists can comprehend travel planning by first viewing the information site of the tourist place they want to visit, which is one of the effects of technological advancements on tourism (Simanjuntak et al, 2021). Furthermore, visitor satisfaction with tourist destination online content such as the quality of online information on tourist attractions and its accessibility on the internet can influence positive feelings like happiness, loyalty, and the intention to visit a tourist destination (Saleem et al, 2018, as cited in Majeed et al, 2020. According to Majeed et al (2020), the advancement of information technology, particularly information on tourist sites, which is now freely available on numerous platforms, has substantially contributed to tourism promotion.
In responding to the challenges of the modern world in terms of the need to implement sustainable tourism development, it is necessary to use digital media as an effective promotional strategy to collect information that can influence tourists' traveling decisions, including their emotions. It is important to include digital-based marketing in the development of marketing strategies, the contents of which will encourage tourists to visit certain places (Hysa, Karasek & Zdonek, 2021). Moreover, generated digital promoting materials must have content that is relevant and up-to-date. According to Dronova and Trygub (2020), an effective web resource should be easy to use, contain relevant information and be updated regularly. In order to fit those criteria, the following points are addressed while establishing Botutonuo Beach marketing strategy in the form of digital or web-based information: 1. The information The website for Botutonuo Beach tourist attraction contains crucial information for visitors. Palmer and Cole (2000), as cited in Putra et al (2018), stated that a tourism website must be able to help visitors gather relevant information, navigate through a variety of texts and graphical elements, and create first impressions from the virtual world. Therefore, Botutonuo Beach website contains information about how to get to Botutonuo Beach attractions such as a description of road outlines, distances, entrances (aisles), and transportation. There is also information on many activities in this tourist destination. This website also has information section for showing events that have taken place or will take place at Botutonuo Beach tourist attraction.
For Botutonuo Beach tourist attraction management team (local community and government), this could be a solution plan for promoting Botutonuo Beach tourist region. It is essential that a tourist destination website combines technology and marketing principles (Putra et al, 2018). The website enables the management team to reduce their promotional budget while still being able to promote their tourist destinations. Websites become important informational resources for travelers before they leave for their vacation and during their trip, which means that tourism websites increasingly serve as marketing tools (Choi et al, 2007 andSchegg et al, 2002;cited in Vila et al, 2021). Despite the promotional challenge of social media persists, website-based promotion remains preferable as it allows their audience to search for the information they need on a single platform.

The platform
The promotion of Botutonuo Beach begins with developing a website using Google Site platform. This platform provides some ready-to-use templates to help developers create a perfect website appearance. The outcomes of website creation on this platform may be accessible via smartphones and distributed on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, allowing domestic and international tourists to access it.

Web content and design
Web design is a crucial component of creating a good interface that may satisfy consumer expectations (Flavian et al, 2009;cited in Vila et al, 2021). The website for Botutonuo Beach which is currently being developed contains 4 basic pieces of information, namely:

a. Visitor information
This section explains Botutonuo Beach's natural beauty and qualities, road conditions, alleys to access the beach, touristfriendly modes of transportation, etc. Additionally, information for travelers on things to consider when visiting and traveling on Botutonuo Beach is displayed (Fig. 10).

. See and Do
This section offers information about visitor activities and facilities on Botutonuo Beach along with some photos and price information (Fig. 11).

com/view/botutonuobeach/visitorinformation c. Eat and Drink
This section details various food and beverage menus offered in Botutonuo Beach's tourist sector (Fig. 12). This section offers information on public holidays (Fig. 13).

com/view/botutonuobeach/visitorinformation
The development of effective and efficient procedures that entail trip planning, decision-making as well as ensuring correct information is the key success in digital-based tourism marketing. Therefore, it is crucial to recognize the main attributes of tourism website content and designs, and how they affect users' experience as this might result in new industry strategies.

Conclusion
o promote Botutonuo Beach as a popular tourist destination in the Province of Gorontalo, information about it needs to be delivered digitally on websites. This allows the spread of information about the beach to wider target visitors, not only in Indonesia but also in other countries. The development of the website which documents the uniqueness of the beach is thus expected to increase the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Botutonuo Beach. In addition, responsibility for maintaining the beach must also be shared among the locals, visitors, and the government. Effective collaboration between all these stakeholders may ensure effective beach management in the future. Future research examining the efficacy of this website development and how this collaboration works are potential research topics to undertake.

Funding
his study received no specific financial support.

Competing interests
he authors declare that they have no competing interests.