By: Gea Kusumawardani)*
The community supports the opening of safe tourism to accelerate economic recovery. The opening of tourism is of course by implementing strict Prokes and following all Government regulations to prevent a spike in Covid-19 cases.
The pandemic has hit the economy, especially in the tourism sector, not a few tourist attractions have experienced an income deficit due to the impact of social restriction policies in order to break the chain of transmission of the corona virus. However, currently the number of COVID-19 patients has fallen far, so the tourism sector should be opened while still observing health protocols.
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno is optimistic that the reopening of the tourism sector for foreign tourists can restore the economy. This is because the opening of tourism can certainly attract employment opportunities.
Therefore, he asked the tourism village manager to be prepared to welcome the opening of tourism for foreign tourists. Not only service preparation, but also aspects of health protocols through the implementation of CHSE (cleanliness Health Safety Environment Sustainability) which is integrated with the Peduli Protect Application. This was conveyed when Sandiaga presented awards to the 50 best tourist villages in West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
However, Sandiaga also appealed to tourism village managers to be able to develop themselves in welcoming domestic tourists. The reason is because domestic tourists also have a very large potential for visits.
Moreover, NTB will host the Mandalika MotoGP, World Superbike, and G20 events in 2022. So there will be a lot of events taking place in NTB. Sandiaga hopes that the people in NTB will be able to open up opportunities for revival, the economy will move again and job opportunities will be opened again.
However, the arrival of tourists must be in line with Covid-19 control. Health protocols and quarantine protocols must be obeyed in a disciplined manner by all foreign travelers, especially foreign tourists. They must have received a complete dose of Covid-19 vaccination and undergo a three-day quarantine period upon arrival in Indonesia.
This refers to the Circular Letter of the Task Force (Satgas) for Handling Covid-19 Number 20 of 2021 regarding international travel health protocols during the covid-19 pandemic.
He explained that the key was controlling Covid. Sandiaga hopes that this provision can be complied with by all members of the public who will travel abroad as well as foreign citizens.
Meanwhile, he explained that the vaccination process in NTB continues to be carried out, as instructed by President Joko Widodo so that all parties can welcome the 2021 WSBK AND MotoGP 2021. So that, if everything goes smoothly, the tourism sector in the world motorcycle racing event will further create tourism. passionate and open new job opportunities for local communities.
He believes that the international scale motorcycle racing event is expected to be a signal for the revival of the tourism sector and creative industries in Indonesia. In addition, the event is also expected to be a proof that Indonesia is ready to host the implementation of the G20 which is planned to be held in 2022.
On the same occasion, the Regent of West Lombok, Fauzan Khalid expressed his appreciation to the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. He hopes that the reopening of tourism for foreign tourists can drive the economy in NTB, especially West Lombok. Given the area has 58 tourist villages with various variations of superior products, ranging from weaving, beaches, mangroves and others.
We need to know that the tourism sector and the creative economy can be the engine of the national economic recovery. This can be realized through three synergies, namely innovation, adaptation and collaboration.
Moreover, many developed countries make the tourism sector and the creative economy the main pillars of their economy. However, supervision must be tightened, this aims to anticipate the phenomenon of “revenge” tourism.
This phenomenon arose as a result of PPKM level 4 which at that time completely closed access to tourism, so that many people could not go out to just travel because of these restrictions.
The rampant number of cases of Covid-19, of course, can be used as a momentum to reactivate tourism activities, tourist villages, sports tourism, cultural tourism, culinary tourism and various creative economy products must be revived, so that the economic cycle in the tourism sector and the creative economy can be turned again so that have an impact on increasing the degree of tourism industry players.
)* The author is a contributor to the Circle of the Equator
