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THE tourism industry players in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who rely on income from domestic and foreign tourists have a headache when the COVID-19 pandemic hits. Foreign tourists are absolutely not allowed to enter during territorial restrictions, making tourist players bite their fingers.
They did not mourn for long because they had to immediately find a way out. What was considered a disaster had brought blessings in secret.
Bony Oldam Romas, a “Kopi Mane” coffee entrepreneur in East Manggarai, NTT, initially relied on direct sales at his coffee shop. Jenama, which means “Afternoon Coffee” was founded in 2014 and can now be found in Ruteng, Manggarai as well as Labuan Bajo and Maumere.
“The impact of COVID-19 was felt in Labuan Bajo, for four months in total lockdown, no guests entered and the cafe was closed,” he said while speaking at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy webinar. What Do Small Entrepreneurs in the Tourism Sector in Indonesia Say? Case Study Labuan Bajo, Bali & Lombok”.
In Ruteng, the fate is a little better because there are still local customers who are loyal to taste the delicious coffee there. Although still the number of visitors has also dropped dramatically. During the first three months of the pandemic, the maximum turnover obtained was 20 percent.
“Turnover for three months from March fell, 0% because it was not opened, in Ruteng it could be 20-30%,” he said.
A glimmer of hope appeared when he decided to sell more widely through cyberspace. Online sales are the answer to get out of despair. In addition, there are colleagues from Jakarta who volunteered to resell their coffee products (resellers).
Buyers who can’t come directly to Kopi Mane can finally sip a bitter drink at their homes, whether from Kalimantan to Java.
He hopes that in the future coffee can become a new attraction for tourists so that there are many reasons, beyond seeing Komodo dragons, to stop by this beautiful area in the East.
While waiting for the conducive atmosphere to return, Bony also organized trainings so that local young people could be skilled at working as baristas. Likewise with the assisted residents of the Correctional Institution, so that they can change their fortunes by entrepreneurship in the coffee sector.
He is passionate about encouraging local young people to master the science of coffee making considering that it is one of the prominent natural resources there. “Could be the host in your own area.”
The story of the owner “Krisna”
Tourists who visit the island of the Gods are almost impossible to miss Krisna’s famous souvenir shop in Bali. Predictably, this business took a hit when the pandemic hit.
I Gusti Ngurah Anom, Owner of Krisna Souvenirs from Bali, has a total of 2500 employees working in 32 outlets. He said, as many as 2000 employees were laid off during the pandemic because the shops could not operate. Fortunately, since a few months ago the business started to crawl again, although it was not yet optimal.
“In November, 60 percent of employees have returned to work,” he said, adding that it was all thanks to domestic tourists who began to venture back on vacation.
“Before the extraordinary turnover pandemic, during the pandemic Krisna and other tourism businesses were severely affected. Now it is 40%, I am optimistic that in 2021 Krisna’s turnover will return to 100%.”
The adjustments made at Krisna include implementing health protocols in all stores, starting from the obligation to wash hands, wearing masks, measuring body temperature before buyers enter to providing hand sanitizers.
“Krisna is ready to be visited,” he invited.
The first months of the corona virus hit, he really felt sadness and pressure. But he did not want to linger on the slump.
“In late May I thought I had to get up,” he said.
His family has a background in agriculture, so I Gusti Ngurah Anom chose to wait for the pandemic to end by cultivating 23 hectares of land in the North Bali area. Together with the team, he started gardening and planted a variety of plants, from nuts, bananas to pineapples.
Her new activity brings blessings. From there, he thought of creating a new product whose business he managed from upstream to downstream. New snacks were born whose ingredients came from the plantation itself. Moreover, snacks are one of the products favored by buyers at Krisna.
“The beans were planted for three months, the harvest in July was eight hectares, now Krisna is making new products, producing peas, bakpia, milk pie, steamed pia. I have a new COVID product,” he said.
Krisna is also increasingly selling online, even though the number has not matched the size of direct sales at the store because people usually shop for souvenirs after a vacation. But at least COVID-19 produced a new variant for its business.
General Secretary of the Indonesian Recreation Park Business Association, Jaya Purnawijaya, said several things that tourism actors can do to regain people’s trust.
Among them are getting the CHSE (Clean, Health, Safety & Environment) certification or Hygiene, Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability. This certification serves as a guarantee to the community that the services they provide are in accordance with the required protocol.
This certification makes tourists free from anxiety and more confident in choosing the service.
“Don’t forget to promote on social media,” added Jaya.
Promotion through social media is also considered effective because many tourists are looking for references for vacationing through cyberspace. Positive reviews to interesting photos can be content that makes tourists tempted to take a vacation there.
The stories of players in the tourism industry, including in the culinary sub-sector, from Laboan Bajo and Bali prove that between difficulties there are opportunities, and adapting to the digital world is one of the effective solutions to survive the pandemic. [antaranews/photo special]
