Community-Based Transformational Leadership: Advancing SDGs in Indonesia’s Banyuwangi Tourism Villages

The research investigates the link between leadership and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advancement perceptions across six Indonesian tourism villages representing different geographical and developmental settings. The research uses constructivist/interpretivist paradigm together with an exploratory qualitative research design. The research data consisted of pre-existing semi-structured interviews with 18 village leaders, business owners, and community members, as well as 15 participants in focus group discussions spread across six villages to discuss SDG achievement perceptions. Leadership became the central theme that emerged from the research. A thematic re-analysis based on community-based leadership (CBL) and transformational leadership (TL) principles analysed how participants linked their leadership perspectives to village development and SDG-related results. The essential leadership qualities that led to positive SDG outcomes included participatory decision-making and local knowledge integration together with inspirational vision and individualised support for poverty reduction and gender equality and cultural heritage preservation and environmental sustainability. The main obstacles involved limited resources and difficulties accessing information and disagreements between stakeholders as well as a widespread sense of dishonesty. The supplementary survey data (n=216) offered additional background information. The research demonstrates that leaders need to implement both CBL and TL approaches to modify the public's perception of SDG advancement in tourism villages. The research findings demonstrate practical applications for leadership development and community involvement in planning and empowerment for sustainable long-term tourist expansion. The research recommends further investigation using larger participant groups.