Tourist Villages to Become “Pandemic Winners” for Tourism Sector Revival: Minister

Lerep tourist village, Semarang regency, Central Java province. (Source: PR of Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy)

Tourist villages will become “pandemic winners” as the trend of post-pandemic tourism changes, according to Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy / Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno.

According to the Minister, tourists will choose destinations that put safety, comfort, cleanliness, health, and sustainable environment above everything.

“We have set our tourist villages as a priority program amid the pandemic, as a program that sparks motivation and revival of the tourism and creative economy sector. It is directly related to people’s economy. This program can be clear evidence that tourism and creative economy are ready to rebound,” he said while inspecting Lerep tourist village in Semarang regency, Central Java province, Thursday (01/04).

Sandiaga also said that the tourism segments in the future will be personalized, customized, localized, and smaller in size.

Being personalized, he added, means tourists will prefer private tourism or tourism for a family scope, while being customized refers to tourism with a specific interest, such as nature tourism.

In the meantime, being localized means tourist destinations are not far from tourists’ location, while being smaller in size refers to limited visitors to a tourist destination.

The Minister also said all of the four concepts are suitable and able to be implemented in tourist villages.

“I am confident that visits to tourist villages will increase after the pandemic. Tourists will choose destinations with open spaces, and one of which is a tourist village,” he said.

Therefore, the Minister urged the public, in this case tourist village management, to continue to prepare to enhance capacity, particularly in observing strict health protocols.

Sandiaga considered that Lerep tourist village can set an example of the concept development in the future. According to him, not only tourists’ favorite destination but the tourist village in West Ungaran sub-district is also a sustainable tourist village certified by Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy / the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency.

For the record, this tourist village’s points of attraction are the old culinary market that provides local cuisines and annual traditions such as Iriban, a ritual to preserve water springs, that always attract visitors.

“Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will continue to provide guidance, for example, in improving human resources capacity, including guidance to create tourism packages by providing travel patterns that will give tourists more experience and extend their stay. Including big data approach using social media to attract the public in traveling,” he said.

Meanwhile, Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo stated that his government supports Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy to make tourist village development a priority program.

According to him, a way to realize it is by improving accessibility so tourists can reach tourist villages, while expressing hope that tourist village management can adapt to the new normal era.

“Even if it is opened (for tourists), it should be limited by observing strict health protocols and coordinating with the local governments and other related stakeholders,” Ganjar remarked. (PR of Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/UN) (DH/EP)

The official website of Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy can be accessed through this link.