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TOURISM INDUSTRY NEEDS HOSPITALITY VOCATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES

IT IS hoped that the COVID-19 vaccination program will reduce the transmission of COVID-19 while at the same time arousing the excitement of Indonesian tourism. It is predicted that Indonesian tourism will revive in the second semester of 2021.

According to an economist from the Institute for Development on Economic and Finance (Indef) Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, said tourism has an important role in the economy. Before the pandemic, the tourism sector contributed US$20 billion in foreign exchange.

“The tourism sector contributes to absorbing 13 million workers or 10.2% of the total national workforce. This is a sizeable number compared to other sectors. During the pandemic, many tourism and hospitality employees were dismissed as the right time to get ready to return to work to advance Indonesian tourism and hospitality,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vice President for Human Capital, Panorama Hospitality Management (PHM), Muhammad Fahmi, said that the potential for a rebound in Indonesian tourism after the pandemic will have an impact on the gradual high demand for human resources. A superior vocational workforce is urgently needed in rebuilding the Indonesian tourism industry which had been sluggish due to the pandemic.

He explained that the tourism industry, especially hotels, already has trust in vocational graduate students. And there are many vocational graduates who are currently in middle management level positions. The superiority felt by vocational graduates, not only from technical competence, but most of them are equipped with soft skills.

Seeing the high need for vocational staff in the hospitality sector in Indonesia, IDeA Indonesia provides industry-based vocational education in the form of a 3-star standard hotel as a teaching factory. President Director of IDeA Indonesia, Eko Desriyanto stated, during 11 years of operation, IDeA Indonesia has delivered thousands of alumni to work in the world-class hotel and cruise ship industry.

“To contribute even more widely, in the next 3 years IDeA Indonesia has prepared an expansion plan to operate six branches and six 3 and 4 star hotels, in various cities in Indonesia,” Eko concluded. [kontan.co.id/photo special]