The role of university on economic development in heritage tourism area in Malang City, Indonesia

Community service activities in revitalizing religious tourism were carried out to increase tourist numbers, mostly visits by young generations, expanding the community’s economy and introducing history to visitors. Malang City’s relatively high tourism potential must be the point of attention of all social elements. University is expected to be a role model in analyzing solutions to problems to create a prosperous and independent society through tourism. Activities were carried out using the focus group discussion method to socialize and prepare for development. We then assisted in developing and implementing training and evaluation of performance. The service contributed to iconic photo spots and parks around Mbah Honggo’s grave, direct marketing strengthening movement through Mbah Honggo’s historical posters, and social media training (Google My Business). The evaluation results provide concluded that the number of tourist visits is increased so that the surrounding community’s economy is also developed. This also served as additional historical knowledge for visitors.