Tourism Ministry Plans to Reopen Indonesia's Nature Attractions due to Low Covid-19 Risk

KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy plans to open the country’s nature attractions due to the low Covid-19 risk such destinations pose.

Tourism Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio made the statement on June 22.

He expressed that numerous tourism industry players in Indonesia are anticipating the reopening of tourist destinations.

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Due to Indonesia’s months-long large-scale social restrictions, many tourist destinations and attractions were forced to shut down.

Wishnutama emphasized that the plan on opening nature attractions must follow the enforcement of strict health protocols.

Indonesia’s tourism ministry has drafted and proposed a health protocol that will apply for the tourism and creative economy sectors.

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It was approved earlier this week. The health protocol is stipulated in the Decision of the Ministry of Health Number HK.01.07/Menkes/382/2020 about Health Protocols for Society and Public Facilities for the Prevention and Control of Covid-19.

Indonesia’s tourism minister hopes that the health protocols would serve as a guide as participants in the nation’s tourism industry restart operations.

“Don’t let there be new cases. Changing a protocol can take one to two days, but earning trust takes a long time. If we’re not careful or disciplined, the economic impact could be even worse,” said Wishnutama in a statement.

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Indonesia’s Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar was also present at the press conference where the tourism ministry’s plans were announced.

Based on the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s data, there are approximately 29 national parks and nature attractions that have gradually reopened.

Among the places Siti mentioned was Gunung Gede Pangrango, Bromo Tengger Semeru, and Rinjani.