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TOURISM is the economic sector most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but now the situation is starting to improve due to various government policies such as the implementation of community activity restrictions (PPKM) and vaccination programs and support from the entire community.
Indonesian tourism is now starting to rise, the government together with various stakeholders are ready to turn the wheel of the tourism industry which had stopped for a long time. The MASATA (Tourism Awareness Society) organization is ready to take part in revitalizing Indonesian tourism.
As an organization of players, observers and lovers of Indonesian tourism who are competent in supporting sustainable tourism in Indonesia, Masata held the First National Conference on November 28-December 1, 2021 at Candi Bentar Ballroom, Putri Duyung Resort, Taman Impian Jaya Ancol.
The Masata I National Conference was officially opened by Titin Lestari, Director of Competency Standards for the Deputy for Institutional Resources of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, representing the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno.
The Masata I National Conference was attended by 59 participants from 19 Regional Management Councils and members of the Masata Central Executive Board. The National Assembly I Masata will establish a new work program and new management for the period 2021-2023.
According to the Chairman of the National Conference Committee I Masata, Jeffrey Rantung said that the preparation of the organizing committee was relatively very short, considering that the plan for the National Conference 1 was held in Bali until it was finally moved to Jakarta.
“Regarding the theme of Masata’s National Conference I, ‘Solid Collaborative, and Forward Together’, I say this theme means that after this congress, we hope that Masata’s organization will be more solid internally in managing this organization, and will be more collaborative in collaborating with external parties, including with the government. And moving forward together means that what the organization is doing is for the common good, not for personal gain,” he said.
Meanwhile, the General Chairman of Masata, Panca Rudolf Sarongu explained, for 1.5 years Masata has become an important tourism organization in the community, we already have members from 150 districts and cities from all over Indonesia.
“Our programs reach out to community empowerment, assistance to tourist villages and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Masata is the answer to the needs of tourism organizations in the region, because we are an organization of actors, observers and tourism lovers so that we reach members from the grassroots who without calculating build tourism in their area,” Panca remarked.
Likewise, Titin Lestari said the COVID-19 pandemic had a very worrying impact, in 2020 foreign tourist arrivals decreased by 75%, in 2021 it fell again by 80%, resulting in a decrease in foreign exchange from the tourism sector. This has become a “homework” together on how to anticipate the decline which will affect all Parekraf human resources who have lost their livelihoods.
“We need to look at the positive side in the era of the pandemic, with extraordinary impacts, we are able to create new technologies and ideas that can be worked on together, promised as a strategy, for how to move forward with tourism in this new century so that Tourism and Creative Economy human resources remain strong. All tourism actors are entering a new phase, the new tourism trend is to personalize, customize, localize, smaller in size, and prioritize quality and sustainable tourism,” Titin Lestari undelined.
The shift in tourism trends after the pandemic must inevitably be faced, for that the ministry cannot stand alone. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy must collaborate, not only with other sectors, the community, media, associations, academia and industry, by strengthening each other in the future. So that it can be built again and tourism is better than before the pandemic.
“In responding to the challenge, there must be a change in the trend to carry out a new strategy, the Ministry of Tourism has compiled a new strategy, namely the new era of tourism, which focuses on improving the quality of the quantity of tourism development in the future with 4 characters, namely Hygine, less crowd, low touch and low mobility,” Titin added.
As a recovery step, it has been carried out through implementing the vaccination program for creative tourism players, implementing CHSE, developing big data, digital transformation, and conducting socialization in all destinations, through PCR activities, it is hoped that the tourism sector can recover.
The strategy that we have set is to increase the capacity of human resources through up-scaling and competency certification. Revitalizing tourism destinations and creative economic infrastructure through strengthening management and governance of tourist village development destinations, developing destination facilities.
The ministry also provides assistance to tourist villages, capacity building for community human resources, the growing number of typical tourists, that’s why we developed story telling training, foreign language homestays, digital entrepreneurship in tourism destinations.
“Hopefully this strategy can deliver the goal of achieving us together so that tourism is more advanced,” she concluded. [traveltext.id]
