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THE MINISTRY of Tourism and Creative Economy held another Socialization of Tourism Awareness 5.0 activity in 5 tourist villages in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, which became a place to revive the role of villages in the tourism sector through the active role of residents and tourism actors.
According to the Deputy for Resources and Institutions of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Martini Mohamad Paham, quality tourism creates opportunities for tourism villages to take a role.
“Tourists are currently looking for new tourist attractions, urban communities also choose tourist villages as alternative tourist attractions, this is an opportunity for all of us to build tourist villages,” he said as quoted from a press statement on Thursday (03/09), 2023.
The selected tourist villages are two of the buffer villages around Komodo National Park, namely Komodo Village and Pasir Putih. Komodo Tourism Village is one of the original habitats of Komodo dragons, and local residents are now working to develop tourism products related to these rare animals while managing the potential of its natural beauty.
The Pasir Putih Tourism Village is currently starting coral planting, developing the concept of a rainbow village in the middle of the sea, and utilizing marine resources.
Meanwhile, three other tourist villages, geographically located not far from Labuan Bajo City, namely Batu Cermin, Golo Bilas and Gorontalo Villages, are expected to enrich tourism alternatives in the area that has been designated by the government as a Super Priority Tourism Destination.
On various occasions, Menparekraf Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno emphasized that quality tourism is a focus that will continue to be worked on.
“We continue to adopt and work on quality tourism. So the development of the tourism sector does not only focus on arrival numbers, but how is the quality. We want to present tourism that implements effective, efficient, and results-oriented methods,” he remarked.
The Socialization of Tourism Awareness is part of the Tourism Awareness 5.0 Campaign, which is the flagship program of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy supported by the World Bank. Raising the main messages of Sapta Pesona, CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environment Sustainability), and Excellent Service.
When opening the Socialization of Tourism Awareness 5.0 in Labuan Bajo, Tuesday (03/07), the Ministry of Tourism’s Associate Expert Policy Analyst Ari Prasetio also emphasized that village empowerment through the tourism sector is a tangible manifestation of the nation’s sovereignty in developing tourism.
“Tourism sovereignty departs from the village. For this reason, I encourage the active participation of residents in reviving tourism in their respective villages, so that each party can maintain the sustainability of archipelago tourism,” he admitted.
On this occasion, the Secretary of the Tourism Office of West Manggarai Regency, Chrispinianus Mesima, invited the Socialization participants to make good use of the opportunity to get training, listen with an open mind and heart.
To maintain and continue to improve the quality of tourism development, he said, tourism actors must also continue to be reminded of the importance of things that may already be known together, but often the implementation is not in line with expectations.
“The world continues to move forward, so we must continue to fill ourselves with knowledge that continues to grow, including about Sapta Pesona, Excellent Service and CHSE,” Chris concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
