Minister: Tourism Sector Needs Thorough Preparation in New Normal Era
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy talks to the press after attending a Limited Meeting on Thursday (28/5). (Photo: Ibrahim/PR)
As the most-affected sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism needs thorough preparation to rebound in the new normal era, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Wishnutama has said.
However, according to him, the preparation stages—which include cleanliness, healthy, and safety aspects— depend on each region as there are different circumstances in those regions.
“The Government needs at least one month to prepare everything since a region declares readiness to reopen their tourism sector,” Wishnutama said, Thursday (28/5)
On that occasion, the Minister also pointed out that all sectors related to tourism need to prepare themselves, including tourist destinations themselves, hotels, restaurants, and others.
“The Government is currently preparing and coordinating with ministries / institutions particularly the COVID-19 Task Force,” Wishnutama explained.
Other than coordination with stakeholders, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, he added, has also discussed with airlines companies and hotels to prepare various tourism packages with competitive prices.
In addition, using digital platform to advertise the business to targeted audience is the next step, he added.
The Minister went on to say that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered his Ministry to review new COVID-19 cases in each region regularly, adding that if the cases rise, regional governments may shut the tourism sector in their respective regions until the cases drop again.
“The implementation must be strict and we must not let anyone break the rules. Implementation of the SOP must be followed by all business actors including the airport, hotel, and so on,” Wishnutama said, adding that gaining trust and confidence from the public is pivotal to restore tourism industry. (FID/EN)
Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas
