Indonesia Needs to Revive Tourism Sector with Caution amid Pandemic

He went on to say that the pandemic has opened up opportunities in domestic tourism as Indonesian travelers now search for new tourist destinations in the country.

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“I really hope that we [the tourism sector] can be better than before.”

“A lot of industries are also affected by the pandemic but as long as we stay optimistic and always look at the opportunities, there is always hope for a better future,” he added.

To do so, he underscored the importance of working closely with the relevant parties. Taking an example, his company has organized workshops to support the government program on five 'Super Priority Destinations', namely Lake Toba, Borobudur, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, and Likupang.

“We need to put more focus on these destinations, our team has visited those places to get a closer look at the situation on the ground,” he said.

Remain alert for possible Covid-19 surge

Reopening the country’s economy must also consider public health. Indonesia has begun easing the Covid-19 restrictions after the coronavirus infections continue to decline. Some areas, especially those in alert level 3 cities in Java and Bali are allowed to start trial runs for reopening the tourist attractions.

Following continuous improvement in Covid-19 indicators, some adjustments have been made, including the rules for places of worship, restaurants, and malls or shopping centers.
Restaurants within the shopping malls can now serve dine-in customers but limit their capacity to 50 percent. Previously, shopping centers could only operate at 25 percent capacity, while restaurants could only offer takeaway or delivery services.

Also read: 157 Million Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine Distributed across Indonesia

A spokesperson for the National Covid-19 Task Force Wiku Adisasmito said that the decline in new coronavirus cases needs to be handled carefully. All parties are urged to continue to maintain strict health protocols to keep reducing the spread of the Covid-19.

“To keep reducing the Covid-19 cases, efforts must be done and be wise in carrying out social and economic activities even some restrictions have been relaxed,” Wiku told an online press conference on Thursday, September 30.

He reminds the public to learn from the previous months when the new number of infections had increased significantly during the holidays and religious celebrations. The situation got worse after the more virulent Delta variant was first detected in the country a few months ago. It turned out that the Covid cases increased by 214 percent, he said.

With the current challenges, all relevant parties need to make the best possible decisions in reopening the economy and reviving the tourism sector safely.