The Attractiveness of Urban Tourism Destination: a Case Study of Surakarta Royal Palace Square-Pasar Gede Corridor

Abstract Public spaces in cities play a significant part in tourism-related activities. One of the critical public space corridors for Surakarta City is the section between Surakarta Royal Palace Square to Pasar Gede. Since the Kasunanan Surakarta Hadiningrat Palace was built in 1745, this corridor has seen the growth of Surakarta as a city. The Surakarta municipal government has implemented several methods to create the public space corridor so that it can become one of the city’s famous tourist attractions. This study aims to see the extent to which the configuration and elements of public space in the corridor of Keraton Kasunanan Surakarta Square to Pasar Gede can become a superior urban tourism destination. The data collection method was carried out by conducting field observations along the corridors of the research area and documenting the visitors traveling there. Data analysis was performed using the Clare A. Gunn Model to identify the elements that makeup space along the corridor of the Kasunanan Surakarta-Pasar Gede palace square, which is an urban tourist destination. The study results show that the main urban elements that attract urban tourism are the Pasar Gede element, Surakarta City Town Hall element, Galabo Culinair element, and Souvenir Market element. The benefits of this research are expected to be an input for urban tourism area structuring policies.