Vol. 5, No. 11, November 2024
E-ISSN: 2723 - 6692
P-ISSN: 2723 - 6595
http://jiss.publikasiindonesia.id/
Journal of Indonesian Social Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 11, November 2024 2940
Branding of Batu Bara Historical Beach as an Effort to Develop a
Tourist Destination
Yollanda Finky, Rinanda Purba
Universitas Potensi Utama, Medan, Indonesia
Universitas Negeri Medan, Indonesia
Email: [email protected], azul.creator@gmail.com
Correspondence: yolandafinky@gmail.com*
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Branding; Historical Beach;
Promotion; Identity
This research aims to design an attractive and innovative branding
of a beach, the historical beach of Batu Bara is located in Perupuk
village, Fifty coastal district, Batu Bara. This historical beach was the
first stop and defense of the Japanese army in 1940. However, there
are still many people who do not know about the existence of this
beach because access to this tourist spot is still quite inadequate,
such as poor roads, poor facilities, there is still extortion on this
beach, lack of promotional media through social media. For this
reason, the purpose of branding Pantai Sejarah Batu Bara is to create
an identity, corporate image and awareness of the target audience.
Data collection is done through the process of observation and
interviews, while the data analysis method used is SWOT analysis
and brainstorming and distribution of questionnaires to the public.
Effective media in branding this Coal History Beach include
handbooks, Instagram feeds, brochures, billboards, merchandise.
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Introduction
The Republic of Indonesia is a country that has the potential for very abundant natural
resources, biodiversity and historical / cultural heritage (Rizal et al., 2020). The abundance of existing
natural resources can increase economic growth when these resources can be managed properly in
accordance with what the community is interested in so that the use of these natural resources will
not waste time or material due to failure during the era of globalization as it is today, progress in the
field of tourism is very rapid (Marlina & Herawan, 2020). Tourism has been recognized as the largest
industry in this century, judging from various indicators of its development in the world, in the
coming years the role of tourism will increase greatly (Saha et al., 2021). Therefore, much must be
done to develop a tourism potential, especially in Indonesia (Kusumawati, 2020). This is also because
the tourism sector is very important considering that the tourism sector helps drive the development
of a region, especially areas that have enormous tourism potential and bring in considerable foreign
exchange for areas that will be visited by local and foreign tourists.
In the era of globalization as it is today, progress in the field of tourism is very rapid. Tourism
has been recognized as the largest industry in this century, seen from various indicators of its
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development in the world, in the coming years the role of tourism will increase greatly. Therefore,
much must be done to develop a tourism potential, especially in Indonesia. This is also because the
tourism sector is very important considering that the tourism sector helps drive the development of
a region, especially areas that have enormous tourism potential and bring in considerable foreign
exchange for areas that will be visited by local and foreign tourists (Tapatfeto & Bessie, 2018).
The organization of tourism is a very important tool in the field of regional development in
today's regional autonomy, to be able to create jobs, increase and equalize community income and
introduce regional cultural arts and regional handicrafts to be marketed to tourists, both local and
foreign tourists.
There are several factors that encourage someone to travel, including wanting to see places that
have not been visited and want to learn something, wanting to do something that cannot be done at
home, for recreation or relaxation, and others. In this factor nature is also very influential such as
climate, natural scenery, flora and fauna, and others. In addition, there are also factors that are the
creation of local communities such as culture, traditions, customs of the surrounding population,
historical objects, historical places, dances, and traditional community ceremonies (Hassan, 2020;
Rahmanto, 2020). Therefore, the government must also develop tourism objects as the main
attraction for tourists.
Batu Bara as one of the districts in North Sumatra certainly has tourism potential that can
attract tourists. One of the interesting attractions to visit is Perupuk Beach or known as Batu Bara
Historical Beach which has a beautiful panorama with the Japanese House Icon, history museum, long
bridge that leads to the sea, Mangrove Park and children's games.
Tourism development itself is inseparable from the role of the Government and the community
in creating a safe atmosphere, maintaining the beauty, cleanliness and sustainability of tourist
attractions in the area. Tourism development in an area is certainly done to improve the standard of
living of the local community (Lin et al., 2021).
But in fact, tourism development in the Batu Bara Historical Beach tourism area is still not
optimal. This is because there are several problems, including limited facilities and infrastructure, not
optimal structuring of tourist attractions as a destination, poor management, not optimal tourism
promotion and the lack of visitors who come to the coal history beach tour because of not optimal
management.
The potential of the Batu Bara Historical Beach tourist attraction still needs to be developed
again so that it becomes the most attractive main tourist destination in Batu Bara Regency (Syahbana
et al., 2014). Therefore, it is necessary to renovate the development of tourist attractions that are
really well prepared accompanied by good handling by the management of the Historical Beach
tourist attraction itself and the local community. In addition, the role of the community is also very
necessary so that the development of the History beach tourist attraction can be realized very well.
Based on this description, it is necessary to be realized by the local government, in this case the
Department of Culture and Tourism, which plays a very important role in developing a tourist
attraction (Liu et al., 2020). Strategy as a form of effort made to create and preserve tourist areas,
especially Batu Bara Historical Beach, so that they can be more competitive in attracting tourists
(Mihardja et al., 2019).
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Based on the description above, the authors conducted research with the title "Branding the
Batu Bara Historical Beach Area as a Tourism Development Effort in order to increase profit and its
image as a beach that has Japanese army relics.
The concept used in the brading of the Batu Bara Historical Beach area is to provide natural
beauty in the form of mangrove views with waves and present a view that has a Japanese ethnic
nuance such as a row of red Torii (tori gate) to welcome visitors, Japanese-style traditional buildings
and kimono clothes rental.
The objective to be achieved in this research is to improve the layout of tourist spots at the
Historical Beach tourist location, so as to provide a better experience for visitors. In addition, this
research aims to strengthen the tourism potential of Batu Bara Historical Beach through effective
visual communication media, so that the attractiveness of tourists to this location increases. With this
effort, it is expected that Batu Bara Historical Beach will have a strong and appealing visual identity,
making it a more popular and attractive tourist destination.
Research Methods
Data Collection and Analysis
Data collection in this study consists of primary data and secondary data. Primary data was
obtained directly from the object of research through field observations and interviews. Field
observations were conducted to understand the actual condition of the Historical Beach, including its
advantages and disadvantages. Interviews were conducted with Mr. Ali Azizi, one of the
administrators of Batu Bara Historical Beach, to obtain more in-depth information related to tourism
management at the location. Secondary data involved information from journals, books and related
literature used to build a theoretical foundation, support the branding of Pantai Sejarah, and add
validity to the research.
The data that has been collected is then analyzed using SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats) (Inrawan et al., 2022; Schmidt & Leitner, 2021; Shinde et al., 2023). Some
important points found are the advantages of Sejarah Beach as the only beach in Batu Bara that has
natural potential and historical value, while the disadvantages are the road access that has not been
optimized and the lack of promotion. The opportunities for this tour lie in the potential of the local
economy and the improvement of the tourism sector, while threats include negative perceptions of
the community about the condition of the beach.
The branding development strategy of Pantai Sejarah was designed based on a combination of
SWOT, such as creating a modern visual identity and intensifying promotion through digital and print
media. The creative ideas in this branding design involve the selection of themes, target audiences,
and creative strategies to effectively convey the message and tourism value of Pantai Sejarah.
Creative IdeaThe creative idea in designing the branding concept of Batu Bara Historical Beach
aims to convey the message and unique value of this destination to the public. The main points
developed include thinking methods, themes, target audiences, and creative strategies. The thinking
method is used to facilitate the development of data from the previous analysis, resulting in a concept
that is effective in attracting attention. The theme, the design focuses on Japanese nuances, with visual
icons such as gates and logos that reflect the characteristics of History Beach. The target audience
includes the general public, especially men and women aged 15-40 who are interested in tourist
destinations, especially in the Batu Bara Regency area and its surroundings.
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The creative strategy used adapts the concept of Rimsky K. Judisseno (2019) regarding tourist
destination branding, which emphasizes the importance of a clear and attractive brand. The Pull
strategy was chosen to attract audience attention through advertising on social media such as
Instagram in the form of posts, stories, and promotional videos. In the media concept, the main
elements used include logos, sign systems, merchandise, brochures, photo booths, billboards, and
social media content.
The visualization of the branding includes initial sketches of the logo, sign system, and gate that
depict the visual identity with a Japanese touch, such as the use of water wave elements, sunset, and
torii gate. Various logo design alternatives were created with a combination of blue and red colors to
reflect the beach atmosphere and Japanese theme, while the sign system and gate designs were also
adapted to the visual characteristics of Sejarah Beach to strengthen the brand and unique identity of
this destination.
Results and Discussion
Work Description
From the 10 alternative logo designs created, the chosen design is alternative logo design
number 4. This logo was chosen because it is considered the most reflective of the beach identity in
the message that wants to be conveyed through the visual of the logo.
Figure 1. Prosperous Party logo
Source: Yollanda Finky, 2024
The concept of logo shape number 4 is taken from the concept of a Japanese house-style
building, a sunset surrounded by blue clouds, and warm waves that make this logo characteristic of a
beach that has a Japanese feel.
The branding of the historical beach area itself uses the Golden Ration which is done with
calculation and consideration so as to create a good composition and proportion. This is done to
maintain the consistency and image of karate, as well as avoiding the use of inappropriate logos.
The configuration of the historical beach logo shape is also made to facilitate the use of the logo
in all media, in its application, the logo size varies greatly according to the media. Basically, the applied
logo must be easy to see and still read clearly from the distance, therefore a safe limit is made to fulfill
this.
The meaning of the use of color in the logo on the Coal History Beach, such as the red color itself
is described as enthusiasm, excitement in an effort to preserve historical relics, the red color is also
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considered as luck and prosperity so that the Coal History Beach is expected to always progress in the
future. While the white color describes the professionalism of the management in processing the coal
history beach. The blue color describes the color of sea water which has calmness. The brown color
in the logo text depicts prosperity in preserving the Coal History Beach.
Logos can be applied in various types of media needed, but there are rules in the application of
the Pantai Sejarah identity so that it looks consistent, here are some examples of logo applications
that are wrong or not justified.
a. Resize the logo disproportionately.
b. Added new elements to the logo.
c. Logo must not be distorted
d. Logo must not be overlaid
e. No new patterns can be added.
1. Main Media
The main media of this historical beach area branding is a logo supported by a manual book.
Figure 2. Manual Book
Source: Yollanda Finky, 2024
2. Supporting Media
The visual identity of Pantai Sejarah, including logo, typography, color, and graphic
elements, was applied to various supporting media to build brand awareness among the public.
These supporting media include entrance tickets, banners to attract attention, billboards placed
in Medan city center to introduce the potential of Pantai Sejarah, as well as merchandise such as
T-shirts, stickers, mugs, pins, and keychains as souvenirs for visitors. In addition, informative
brochures provide details about the destination and tour packages of Pantai Sejarah, while
attractive social media content becomes an effective digital promotion tool in increasing brand
awareness of Pantai Sejarah Batu Bara.
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Figure 3. Supporting Media
Source: Yollanda Finky, 2024
3. Poster Design
The following is the design of the poster designing the Branding of the PantaI History Region.
Figure 4. A2 Design Poster
Source: Yollanda Finky, 2024
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4. Implementation
The following is the implementation of the Branding of the Coal History Beach Area:
Figure 5. System Implementation Mockup
Source: Yollanda Finky, 2024
Figure 6. System Implementation Mockup
Figure 7. Mockup of the Archway Implementation
Source: Yollanda Finky, 2024
Discussion
The following is a discussion of the results of the questionnaire that the author did as a form of
measurement of the work that has been made. The author makes a statistical diagram to measure the
results of 62 respondents who have participated in filling out the questionnaire that has been given.
The figure below shows data on the age of respondents who answered the questions, where it
was found that the age range between respondents ranged from 14 - 27 years old. 16 years old is the
highest answering age with 41.9%.
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Figure 8. Screenshot of Respondent's Age
Source: Google Form
Below is a description of the gender of the respondents, where male respondents are around
46.8% and female respondents are 3.2%. It was found that respondents who were high school
students were more dominant, ranging from 85.2%.
Figure 9. Screenshot of Respondents' Gender & Occupation
Source: Google Form
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According to the data obtained from 62 respondents, it was conveyed that the respondents
were domiciled in Batu Bara Regency with a presentation of 90.1%. The following is a description of
some of the addresses that answered the question.
Figure 10. Respondent Address Screenshot
Source: Google Form
From the following, the percentage of questionnaire respondents to the question "Do you know
Batu Bara Historical Beach?" was 96.8% who answered "Yes", and 3.2% who answered "No". As for
the question "Have you ever visited Coal History Beach?", the answer "Yes" was 90.3% and "No" was
9.7%. These results prove that many people already know about this History Beach.
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Figure 11. Statistical Diagram of Session 1 Respondents
Source: Google Form
Below is the percentage of questionnaire respondents with the question "Do you think a tourist
spot should have a visual identity?" with the answer "Yes" as much as 98.4% and "No" as much as
1.4%. As for the question "Do you think a visual identity can help you remember the location/tourist
attractions?" with the answer "Yes" 100%. These results prove that visual identity does need to be
done in order to help the target to recognize and remember Pantai Sejarah.
Figure 12. Statistical Diagram of Session 2 Respondents
Source: Google Form
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From the picture below, it can be concluded that the respondents gave a score of 10 to 100,
where the score of 90 was the highest score with 43.5%, where the respondents agreed to state that
the logo, sign system, and gate were suitable to be used as the visual identity of the Historical Beach.
Figure 13. Respondent Score Diagram
Source: Google Form
In the picture below is the percentage of questionnaire respondents with the question "Do you
think the visual identity can increase your interest in visiting the Historical Beach?" with the answer
"Yes" 91.9% and "No" as much as 8.1%. This shows that the dominant respondents agree that the
visual identity created helps them to remember the Historical Beach.
Figure 14. Session 3 Repondent Stratistics Diagram
Source: Google Form
From the picture below is a diagram of 62 respondents to the question "What do you think of the
logo?"
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Figure 15. Diagram of Opinions from Respondents
Source: Google Form
The author summarizes some of the answers from the 62 opinions that have been given
including responses such as "the logo is in tune with the history beach with your Japanese nuanced
icon", from these opinions and the data that has been generated it can be concluded that the logo is
very suitable to be applied as a visual identity of History Beach.
The picture below is a description of all respondents by giving the answer "Yes", on this question
it can be concluded that respondents agree that the application of visual identity on the media created
can make them more enthusiastic about visiting the Historical Beach.
Figure 16. Session 4 Repondent Stratistics Diagram
Source: Google Form
The following is an overview of all respondents who gave the answer "Yes", it can be concluded
that all respondents agree that an attractive visual identity can develop the image of a historical beach.
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Figure 17. Session 5 Repondent Stratistics Diagram
Source: Google Form
The following is an overview of all respondents who gave the answer "Yes", it can be concluded
that all respondents agree that there is an increase in enthusiasm for visiting historical beaches.
Figure 18. Session 5 Repondent Stratistics Diagram
Source: Google Form
Conclusion
City branding is an identity attached to an area that aims to promote the area by highlighting
its advantages in order to attract tourists to visit. Batu Bara Historical Beach has a role in the past that
used to hold a million stories and memories for the surrounding community. In 1942 Japan first
landed on the island of Sumatra, then there was a Japanese bunker. Pantai Sejarah needs development
in order to become a major tourist destination that is in great demand in Batu Bara Regency, here
promotion is needed so that the image of Pantai Sejarah becomes a very phenomenal tourist spot.
Branding is one way that can achieve this. The branding of this area is designed with a concept that
takes from the nuances of Japan.
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Consistency is also maintained in the application of promotional media to maintain the image
of Pantai Sejarah. The results of the assessment of Pantai Sejarah are considered to be able to increase
the enthusiasm of the people of Batu Bara Regency to come to travel to the Historical Beach.
The suggestions that the author can give to Sejarah Beach and other beaches in Batu Bara
Regency, namely after getting a fairly good response from the research that has been conducted
where the branding of the Batu Bara Historical Beach area that the author has designed is considered
to be able to increase the enthusiasm of the people of Batu Bara Regency to visit Sejarah Beach. So it
is good that the design of this City branding can be applied by the management of the History Beach
in the future so that the goal of promoting the History Beach to a wider community can be achieved.
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