Strategic Collaboration For Healthy And Sustainable Tourism

JAKARTA Enjoying tourism is not only a matter of seeing beauty and culture, but also about maintaining health and the surrounding environment. A new partnership is officially established to support cultural conservation and encourage healthier and environmentally friendly tourism practices.

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) and AQUA officially established a strategic partnership to strengthen cultural conservation efforts and encourage healthier and more environmentally friendly tourism practices. This collaboration also strengthens education and management of plastic waste in tourist areas.

Part of this collaboration is the presence of a post-consumption plastic waste collection and management system, in the form of 2 automatic machine units to receive used plastic bottles, 1 garbage processing unit, and a number of dropboxes in tourist areas.

Together with several related parties, all post-consumption plastic bottle waste will enter the recycling system with a circular economy approach. This step is also in line with the government's vision of sustainable plastic waste management.

Itok Parikesit, Assistant Deputy for Tourism Product Development of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia expressed his appreciation during the inauguration of this partnership.

The presence of this collaboration has strategic significance. TMII, as a representation of diversity and national identity, carries a cultural heritage mandate. Meanwhile, AQUA, with more than five decades of experience, has a strong track record in environmental sustainability and education," said Itok from the official statement of AQUA.

"This partnership shows how destination and industry managers can collaborate in one vision, namely caring for culture as well as protecting the environment. This initiative is also in line with the Clean Tourism Movement program launched by the Ministry of Tourism to improve the quality of safe, comfortable, healthy, inclusive, and environmentally friendly destinations. We hope that the collaboration between TMII and AQUA will continue to develop into a sustainable ecosystem model," he continued.

Vera Galuh Sugijanto, Vice President General Secretary AQUA affirmed their commitment to supporting sustainable tourism.

AQUA is a bottled drinking water brand that was born and grew with the Indonesian people for more than five decades. From this long journey, we learned that environmental sustainability always goes hand in hand with the hydration quality that we present every day," said Vera.

Therefore, AQUA's commitment is not only to providing healthy hydration, but also to environmental conservation efforts, including plastic waste management. AQUA is proud to be able to carry out strategic collaboration with TMII for the preservation of Indonesia's cultural heritage and to realize sustainable tourism.

"Of course, this effort is in line with the Clean Tourism Movement launched by the Ministry of Tourism. We hope that collaborative efforts can provide a more quality, clean, and relevant tourism experience with sustainability values," he explained.

Ratri Paramita, Acting President Director of TMII welcomed this collaboration and emphasized the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation in maintaining cultural sustainability.

"As a cultural park that represents Indonesia's wealth and diversity, TMII has a responsibility to ensure cultural heritage is not only preserved, but also relevant for today's generations. Many of our cultural elements come from nature, ranging from crafts, culinary, to traditions, so protecting the environment means protecting the cultural roots themselves," said Ratri.

"Through a collaboration with AQUA, we strengthen TMII's role in educating the public to actively participate in maintaining environmental sustainability, starting from simple actions such as sorting and managing post-consumption plastic waste. We hope this step can be a real example that cultural and environmental conservation can coexist," he added.

In this partnership, all plastic waste from the entire management system, starting from automatic machines, dropboxes, to Wakan waste processing sites, enters the recycling system and is reprocessed into raw materials for plastic bottles.

This collaboration also encourages various educational programs, one of which is through Vir-ART-LYty, an exhibition of art installation competitions from used plastic bottles. This program involves young students and artists from various regions to express concern for the environment as well as showcase cultural wealth through art.

The best works curated by Indonesian national artists are Tromarama, Erwin Windu Pranata, and REEXP (REcycle-EXPerience). All 15 works can be enjoyed by visitors at the Indonesian Museum starting November 27, 2025.

"Through this collaboration, TMII wants to invite every visitor not only to enjoy Indonesia's wealth, but also to protect it. Tradition, creativity, and concern for the environment are the legacy we care about and build together," said Ratri.

In addition, a kiosk made from recycled materials for plastic bottle caps is also provided.

"We believe that efforts to protect the environment are an important part of maintaining cultural sustainability. Therefore, this joint TMII initiative not only expands waste management education and actions, but also emphasizes AQUA's position as the leader of the plastic recycling education campaign and strengthens the implementation of the circular economy," explained Vera.

"The provision of kiosks from recycled materials for plastic bottle caps is a real example of how post-consumption plastic waste can re-enter the economic value chain, and become part of the sustainability ecosystem. We hope that this effort will become educational and increase public awareness of the potential economic value of post-consumption plastic bottles," he concluded.