Optimizing Existing Social Media Channels Through Digital Literacy Training for Sustainable Ecotourism in Rancakalong Village

Abstract

Digital promotion has become decisive for rural tourism destinations, yet most village digitalisation programmes still assume that the core problem is the absence of online channels. This community engagement activity began from a different finding: Rancakalong Village, Sumedang Regency, West Java, already operated an official Instagram account alongside WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok channels. The problem had therefore shifted from channel availability to channel optimisation. Involving participants drawn from the village-owned enterprise (BUMDes), village officials, the tourism awareness group, and tourism village managers, the activity applied an asset-based community development approach across five stages: channel audit, digital literacy training, content production workshop, institutionalisation, and evaluation. The audit revealed that posts were dominated by documentation of government activities rather than tourism promotion, that the account profile did not clearly communicate the village's status as a tourism destination, and that account recovery data was registered under personal rather than institutional identities. The workshop produced promotional content covering local products, cultural narratives, ecotourism education, event promotion, and visitor testimonials, while participants also practised using generative artificial intelligence to draft captions with mandatory verification of names, prices, and schedules. The activity produced a one-month content calendar, a standard operating procedure for channel management, and a division of administrator roles, shifting management from individual initiative toward institutional practice.