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THE Association of Indonesian Travel Agents (ASTINDO) stated that involving the presence of a travel agent is considered to be able to encourage the stretching of Indonesian tourism.
According to the Deputy Chairperson of ASTINDO, Anton Sumarli said this could encourage the tourism sector at large, considering that in a tour using travel agent services it also involves other tourism elements such as a guide (tour guide), driver, and restaurant. stop off, and so on.
“We hope that the government will also pay attention to the travel industry and agents. If we talk about industry and agents, we have friends, guides, restaurants, drivers, tourism bus components in the regions. The domino effect will have an impact and encourage the Indonesian economy. So it is good to make policies that are friendly enough to us, “said Anton.
He then gave examples of countries that directly involve the presence of travel agents to drive local tourism, one of which is a neighboring country, Malaysia.
Quoting from TTG Asia, the Malaysian government requires those who travel in areas with RMCO (recovery movement control order) such as Perlis, Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Putrajaya and Labuan, must use a registered travel agent, and companies must get approval from the police before travelling. Travel between parts of the country with a personal capacity is still not allowed.
“Conditions in Indonesia are different from Malaysia. Most people’s behavior is more direct to buy via OTA (Online Travel Agency), choosing to book and buy themselves,” said Anton.
He added that in Malaysia, the government requires those on vacation to use travel agent services. If using travel services, it will also help the economy. The agent has many impacts, there are other variables such as guides, restaurants, and the domino effect.
Anton then hopes that business people in the tourism sector, government, and the public as tourists can continue to comply with health protocols, and must be closely monitored to prevent the transmission of the spread of the corona virus (COVID-19).
“We do not want an increase of up to tens of thousands, such as the long holiday for Christmas 2020 and the new year. So that we arrange holidays with strict restrictions and protocols at tourist attractions,” Anton noted.
“Discipline from industry players and society, everyone must start to become aware of themselves. So that later the pandemic is over, no one is exposed and the business is exposed,” he concluded. [antaranews/photo traveltext.id]
