Dialogue with the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Tourism, InJourney Presents Mapping of Issues and Strategic Proposals for Indonesian Tourism
DENPASAR - The state-owned holding company for the aviation and tourism sectors, PT Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia (Persero) or InJourney, also participated in the government and tourism industry actors' dialogue in Bali on Friday (13/2). On this occasion, InJourney's President Director, Maya Watono, explained the various challenges faced by the tourism industry in Bali, accompanied by proposed solutions. With this participation, InJourney hopes to contribute to improving global competitive Indonesian tourism.
The dialogue with tourism sector business actors was also attended by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming, Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Minister of UMKM Maman Abdurrahman, Governor of Bali Wayan Koster, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa, as well as representatives of ministries and agencies, all Regents and Mayors from Bali Province. The business actors present were representatives from PHRI (tourism); ARKI (travel and tourism services); GAHAWISRI (tourism business); ASPERAPI, INCCA, IVENDO (organizer of MICE activities); INACA (travel transport services), GIPI (Association of Indonesian Tourism Industry) and so on. The purpose of this dialogue is to absorb the direct aspirations of business actors, in order to strengthen the steps towards an increasingly advanced and competitive Indonesian tourism.
On this occasion, InJourney's President Director Maya Watono conveyed three main challenges faced by the Indonesian aviation and tourism sector that needed to be addressed in an integrated manner to strengthen the competitiveness of the Indonesian aviation and tourism ecosystem. This mapping places three main priorities, namely connectivity, infrastructure and accommodation, as well as destination development and promotion.
Maya Watono explained that in terms of connectivity, the main challenge is still seen in the limitations of the domestic flight fleet, the limited international direct flights to various airports in Indonesia, and the not yet optimal incentive schemes and partnerships to attract and retain international airline routes.
"To answer this, InJourney encourages steps to strengthen connectivity through the evaluation of several regulations related to connectivity that can increase inbound traffic in priority tourism destinations as well as incentives for the opening of new routes combined with joint promotion programs with inbound airlines," explained Maya Watono.
In terms of infrastructure and accommodation, the increase in traffic at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) has not been fully offset by adequate access to the airport. In addition, land connectivity between priority destinations is still limited by an infrastructure that is not optimal. As a solution, InJourney emphasizes the importance of coordinating the development of integrated intermodal transportation as the main access to the airport, accelerating the improvement of infrastructure in priority destinations such as roads, utilities, and alternative land accessibility such as water taxis, toll road support, and accessibility for tourism areas.
Meanwhile, in the development of destinations and promotions, strengthening branding and marketing of destinations, especially anchor attractions, still require stronger promotional support to create sustainable attraction and increase length of stay. In addition, funding schemes and incentives to attract and retain global-scale international events are still limited. InJourney proposes incentives for travel agents as a catalyst for the promotion and development of the region, financial incentives for external activities that promote major destinations such as film production, collaboration with global travel agents, and industry-based promotions. creative. In addition, InJourney encourages the establishment of a Quality Tourism Fund as a funding support for international events such as MotoGP, concerts, and various other global events.
"Through mapping this issue, InJourney emphasizes the need for collaboration across stakeholders so that the strengthening of connectivity, accessibility, and destination promotion runs in one policy orchestration. The ultimate goal is to create sustainable tourism growth and a real impact on the local and national economy," added Maya Watono.
This meeting is a space for dialogue to strengthen the synergy of the government and business actors. The government emphasizes its commitment to continue to work closely with tourism actors from various sectors. This synergy is expected to be able to increase the global competitiveness of Indonesian tourism by prioritizing the principles of sustainability and economic resilience for the nation. (ADV)