Balikpapan – The Kalimantan Institute of Technology (ITK), through four lecturers from the Urban and Regional Planning (PWK) department and seven students, conducted a community service project titled "Mapping the Potential and Capacity Building of Tourism Operators in Managing the Tanjung Harapan Marine Tourism Destination to Support the IKN Area in WP Samboja." This community service project by the PWK ITK team received internal funding from ITK under the PPM IKN scheme.

The four lecturers involved are Mega Ulimaz, S.T., M.T., Ajeng Nugrahaning Dewanti, S.T., M.T., M.Sc., Dwiana Novianti Tufail, S.T., M.T., and Elin Diyah Syafitri, S.T., M.Sc. The seven students participating are Rifqi Naufal Fadhilla, Jourdan Bagus Sumbung, Deka Adam Budiman, Mohammad Deni Saputro, Ogamaliel Sohmo Sinamo, Muhammad Qabil Makarim, and Shasa Nabila Purwita Rini.

The background of this community service project is the designation of Samboja District as one of the WP IKN Nusantara areas, with one of its administrative regions being Tanjung Harapan Village. This village has potential in the agro and marine sectors. One of the marine tourism attractions with significant potential is Tanah Merah Beach. This beach has a long coastline with different morphological characteristics compared to other popular beaches in the surrounding area. It has cooler temperatures, with pine forests and mangrove buffers dominating the land and estuary borders. Tourists tend to use the beach for camping activities, which presents an opportunity for local communities to provide supporting facilities.

Based on these conditions, the ITK community service team aims to explore the potential and issues of the beach area to enhance its potential and increase visitor numbers. The results of a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with stakeholders from Tanjung Harapan Village and local service providers at the beach revealed the need for proper organization and accessible information for visitors. This is necessary to ensure the preservation of the environment and norms in the beach area, as well as to provide equal access to beach facilities.

The output of this activity includes the provision of a tourist information map for Tanah Merah Beach, covering site plan information, zone distribution, attraction distribution, and facility distribution. Additionally, information boards with reminders to maintain norms and environmental sustainability are placed at strategic points around the beach. The tourist map is also available in a database format that can be displayed on electronic media.

The partners in Tanjung Harapan Village hope that this community service project will continue and that other potentials can be developed with the contribution of the Kalimantan Institute of Technology for the IKN area and its surroundings. The PWK ITK community service team also hopes to carry out follow-up activities in the coming years to plan the development of other potentials in this area.