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THE decline in foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia (RI) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is as expected as happened in other countries.
Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy focuses on mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector and the creative economy while preparing programs and strategies to deal with it to rise after the epidemic.
According to Tourism Minister, Wishnutama Kusubandio in his statement in Jakarta on Monday (4/5), said tourism was the first and most affected sector of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the data of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded foreign tourist arrivals in March 2020 decreased by 45.50% compared to February 2020. Compared to March 2019, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in March 2020 decreased by 64.11%.
“Cumulatively in January to March 2020, the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia reached 2.61 million visits, down 30.62% compared to the number of foreign tourists visiting the same period in 2019, which amounted to 3.76 million visits,” Wishnutama said.
This reduction, said Wishnutama, can be expected considering the steps of the Indonesian government and also the governments of potential foreign donor countries to Indonesia that have decided to close access to and out of the country in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Tourism & Creative Economy Ministry itself is currently focusing on joint efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as well as ensuring and carrying out measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector and the creative economy,” Wishnutama said.
Many steps have been taken by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, both by coordinating with relevant ministries/institutions and the independent program of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy which all focus on tourism and creative economy players.
“Programs that help workers and employers in the tourism sector and the creative economy will continue to be carried out, including giving proposals to other ministries/institutions in protecting the tourism sector and the creative economy,” Wishnutama noted.
For this reason, he continued, I invite the active participation of stakeholders in tourism and the creative economy to both struggle and remain optimistic in order to revive tourism and the post-epidemic creative economy. Previously President Joko Widodo also predicted that there would be a tourism boom after the COVID-19 pandemic was resolved.
“The development of tourism in the future, we will focus on the very principles in order to anticipate trends and new paradigms of tourism or what is known as ‘new normal’ which are more concerned with sanitation and hygiene issues, for example. Including improving technological and digital approaches to tourism services. and creative economy,” Wishnutama added.
He explained the declining performance of the tourism sector did not only occur in Indonesia but also in other countries. The closure of city or state boundaries results in the inoperation of many flight routes so that tourism activities are stopped.
In the condition of this pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy within its authority limits has sought to participate in breaking the chain of virus spreading and ending this pandemic, one of which is by providing transportation and accommodation facilities for health workers who are fighting at the forefront. It was also in line with efforts to help workers in the tourism & creative economy sector to remain stretched amid the struggle against COVID-19.
“We realize that this is not a problem that can be solved by one party alone, but all of us as a nation must unite to Jointly Keep Indonesia,” he concluded. [traveltext.id]
