Strategi Visual Branding dalam Membangun Resiliensi Budaya pada Destinasi Pariwisata Warisan Studi Kasus Perkampungan Budaya Betawi Setu Babakan

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how visual branding strategies contribute to the cultural resilience of the Betawi community at the Betawi Cultural Village (Perkampungan Budaya Betawi) in Setu Babakan as a heritage tourism destination. The study is motivated by the tendency of visual branding research to remain dominated by commercial contexts, while cultural resilience studies have largely focused on community preservation and adaptation without explicitly linking them to visual communication strategies. The research employs a qualitative, phenomenological approach, drawing on in-depth interviews, field observation, visual documentation, and literature review with six categories of informants: area management, the Department of Culture, artists, the Betawi community, tourists, and cultural micro-enterprises. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana, with validity ensured through source and method triangulation. The findings show that visual branding elements, including gates, signage, architecture, souvenirs, performances, and digital media, function as a representational system that produces meaning around Betawi identity while being strategically curated to build a destination image. The tension between visual curation and cultural authenticity is addressed through a "visual layering" strategy that separates spaces of visual innovation from spaces of traditional authenticity, emerging as the primary mechanism of cultural resilience. The study concludes that visual branding contributes to cultural resilience not merely through an appealing visual image, but through an ongoing negotiation process among cultural actors, and offers a new analytical framework that integrates visual branding, cultural representation, and cultural resilience within the context of heritage tourism.