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THE MINISTER of Tourism, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, has urged industry players and tourism associations in the country to prepare well and ensure all supporting aspects to provide the best experience for tourists during the Christmas 2024 and New Year 2025 holidays.
“We must carefully prepare all aspects to ensure the safety, comfort, and smooth travel of tourists,” said Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri during an audience with tourism associations recently at the Soesilo Soedarman Hall, Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta.
The Christmas and New Year holidays in 2024 and 2025, respectively, are among the biggest moments that support the movement of tourists. According to data from the Ministry of Transportation, 110.67 million people are expected to move during the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year holidays.
“This moment is a great opportunity for the tourism sector. I invite all stakeholders to ensure the readiness of accommodation, transportation and destinations during this period so that they can provide the best experience for domestic and foreign tourists during their holidays in Indonesia,” said Widiyanti.
She explained that the tourism sector continues to show a positive trend. The period from January to September 2024 recorded the number of foreign tourists reached 10.3 million visits. Meanwhile, the number of domestic tourists reached 757.96 million movements.
The quality of tourism has also improved, as evidenced by an increase in the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) ranking. Indonesia now ranks 22nd out of 119 countries, 6th in the Asia-Pacific region and 2nd in ASEAN.
Although this achievement deserves recognition, Widiyanti Putri added that Indonesian tourism still faces many challenges. Things like destination cleanliness, infrastructure readiness and environmental sustainability issues are still homework that need collective attention.
Through this audience, the Minister of Tourism hopes for a strong cooperation with the industry and associations as one of the stakeholders in the tourism sector.
“Today is an opportunity for us to hear directly the challenges, ideas and opportunities for cooperation that we can build together for the advancement of national tourism. Opening opportunities for broader and more intensive program collaboration with all industry players and tourism associations,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Deputy Tourism Minister Ni Luh Puspa added that the government is paying close attention to providing the best experience for tourists during the Christmas 2024 and New Year 2025 holidays. Starting from safety and security at tourist destinations, also related to illegal charges that are still often found in the field.
“In the near future, the Ministry of Tourism will conduct a visitation before the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year holidays. We will also issue a circular on the readiness before the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year and we will visit the destinations including their attractions to ensure safety and others,” Ni Luh Puspa affirmed.
Ni Luh assured that the Ministry of Tourism will maximize the function of tourism crisis management during the Christmas 2024 and New Year 2025 holidays. Hopefully, this can continue to be activated when a crisis occurs, including natural disasters and so on in tourist destinations. So later we will also ask for data support and so on.
Likewise, Rizki Handayani, Deputy for Industry and Investment at the Ministry of Tourism, said that more than 20 representatives of associations such as GIPI, ASPPI, PHRI, ASITA, ASTINDO and others were present.
“The minister has ordered that such meetings be held on a regular basis. Perhaps later there will be a thematic meeting, such as a meeting specifically to discuss tourist visits or their relationship with industrial governance,” concluded Rizki Handayani. [traveltext.id]
