Tourism policy implementation and indigenous marginalization: Employment inequality and cultural recognition in Lake Toba, Indonesia

This study examines how tourism policy implementation shapes employment access and cultural sustainability within the Parmalim Indigenous Community in Lake Toba, Indonesia, a nationally prioritized tourism destination. While tourism policy discourse emphasizes inclusive growth and community empowerment, limited research has explored how minority indigenous religious communities experience these initiatives in practice. Employing a qualitative exploratory case study design, this research draws on semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. The findings reveal a gap between policy objectives and implementation outcomes. Tourism expansion has generated uneven employment opportunities, with formal and capital-intensive sectors largely benefiting external actors, while Parmalim community members remain concentrated in informal and peripheral roles. At the same time, the community sustains its cultural identity through the deliberate non-commodification of sacred rituals, exercising authority over how and when cultural practices are shared. This strategy preserves spiritual integrity but limits formal recognition within tourism governance frameworks. By linking tourism policy implementation with indigenous cultural authority, this study demonstrates how selective inclusion can produce interconnected patterns of economic inequality and cultural marginalization. The findings contribute to debates on governance, empowerment, and culturally sensitive tourism development in multicultural contexts.