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THE TREND of green investment in 2024 in the tourism sector (green tourism) indicates that investors are increasingly interested. This can be seen in the last four years; the renewable energy sector (in realizing green tourism) has proven to attract the highest total capital investment.
According to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno in the Indonesia Tourism Outlook 2024 held by the Tourism and Creative Economy Journalists Forum (Forwaparekraf) in Jakarta, Tuesday (11/28), 2023 said that in the 2018-2022 period the trend shows that hotels and tourism activities contribute almost two-thirds of all Foreign Direct Investment projects in the tourism cluster, followed by software and IT services in second place. Investment in software and IT services businesses grew from 10% in 2018 to 28% in 2022. This shows the strengthening role of technology digital in the tourism sector.
“Investors’ attention to macroeconomic volatility tends to decrease, although it is still a major concern. “Meanwhile, climate change will actually become an increasingly worrying concern in the coming year, increasing by 10% in 2023 compared to the previous year,” he said.
Sandiaga explained, with increasing attention to the issue of climate change, it is time for us to strengthen our commitment to quality and sustainable tourism development. Future tourism sector investment will be directed at 3 main aspects, as according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), namely investment in human resources (HR) as the main priority in the development process.
“As well as investment for sustainability as the ultimate goal of development and investment through technology and innovation as a catalyst to achieve prosperity. Around 60% of investment in tourism goes into infrastructure, but in the future, more will go into people (HR). This is important to prepare the sector with the right workforce to be resilient and to create a better future for the tourism sector. We cannot be sustainable if we do not have enough competent humans.
Meanwhile, according to Andry Satrio Nugroho, Head of the Center for Industry, Trade and Investment (INDEF), sustainable tourism investment is a future trend, especially in the energy-efficient transition.
“The future trend in the accommodation sector is to encourage the use of efficient devices to produce environmentally friendly energy. Also increases the efficiency of using clean water. “Water management in making the efficient use of clean water by tourists as well as integrated waste management is a concern for tourism and hotel industry players,” said Andri.
He added that tourism trends in 2024 will experience hyperlocal and slow travel where tourists do not want to spend their time quickly. The time spent traveling is much longer and domestic destinations are chosen that offer natural concepts and green tourism. Also, in the use of technology and personalization as well as leisure or workations.
Likewise, Founder Tanakita Eko Binarso said that adventure tourism is a future tourism trend, such as adventure activities (hiking, culture, culinary, etc.) becoming hot trending in 2023. Adventure tourism that has not been optimally developed is natural tourism. We must be proud to have world heritage such as Mount Rinjani, Komodo, Mount Leuser whose tourist activities are very environmentally friendly.
Challenges for developing natural tourism, according to Eko Binarso, include infrastructure, accessibility, natural disasters, tourist safety, impact management, promotion and branding, institutional coordination, creating new destinations, pollution.
“Tourism trends in 2024 will focus on sustainable tourism. Environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism is in great demand among tourists. In 2017 the world declared sustainable day where 82% respected cultural heritage. Apart from that, the quality of local tourism workers has a high commitment to maintaining cultural heritage,” said Vitria Ariani, Tourism Observer and CEO & Founder of Berbangsa.
Vitria Ariani said, a concrete example of sustainable tourism is a tourist village. If you want to learn about sustainability, you can learn from a tourist village. The tourist village, which was previously not seen, is now a very visible destination. This happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, AB Sadewa, Corsec Panorama Group, said that the green economy could be included in tax revenues related to carbon buying and selling by utilizing the correct procedures for implementing the economic value of carbon.
“Sustainability is easy to talk about, but it turns out to be difficult to put into practice, because that requires a joint commitment to realizing green tourism,” said Sadewa.
According to him, there are four things that make us committed to realizing green tourism, firstly climate change and nature conservation, secondly demand from the market side, thirdly regulations, and fourthly industry needs. [traveltext.id]
