Interpreting Hope: A Critical Hermeneutic Study of Tourism Development Visibility, Justice, and Sustainability in North Sinjai District, Indonesia

This study analyzes the May 2024 Indonesian Public Image Survey Report–LSI Denny JA in North Sinjai District, South Sulawesi, using a hermeneutic-critical approach based on Ricoeur and Habermas. The results show a complete absence of tourism (0.0%) from the narrative of community expectations, the lowest satisfaction with tourism management (63%), and the highest dissatisfaction with fishermen (44.8%). This phenomenon reflects chronic undertourism and the structural invisibility of tourism in the lifeworld of local communities. The paradox of high satisfaction (71.3%) amidst economic hardship (62.3%) provides a golden time window of 2025–2027. The study recommends a “Community First, Tourism Later” strategy with the empowerment of 1,000 fishing families, dual infrastructure, and a local-level INSTO-UNWTO pilot. North Sinjai has the potential to become a national model for transitioning from extreme undertourism to sustainable, inclusive and equitable micro-tourism.