The COVID-19 Task Force Recommends That Nature Tourism Be Opened First Because It Is Considered Low Risk

JAKARTA - A number of tourist attractions have begun to open into a new era of normality. Doni Monardo, Chair of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19, said tourist attractions with low risk should be opened first, provided that the manager must be ready to implement health protocols.

"For tourism activities with low risk, it might be started, but on condition that the regional and tourism activity managers must be ready first. That can only start after there is permission from the relevant ministries," said Doni during a joint meeting with Commission X of the Indonesian Parliament, Wednesday, June 17. .

Tourist attractions that are considered to have a lower risk are nature tourism or tourism that is more on an ecosystem approach. The reason is, this type of tourism is considered not to cause a crowd of tourists.

Meanwhile, Doni said, a number of regional heads asked for tourism activities not to be opened, such as the province of Bali.

The government has planned to reopen tourism on the Island of the Gods. A number of preparations have been made. However, this was considered insufficient.

"It needs to be built or equipped with ports and airports with more PCR machines. So that everyone who comes when they enter Bali can be monitored," said Doni.

So, the Governor of Bali I Wayan Koster suggested that tourism in his area should not be opened first. This proposal, said Doni, had been submitted to the Minister of Tourism Wishnutama Kusbandio.

On the other hand, Riau Islands wants to open a tourist location on Bintan Island. The hope is that this place can attract tourists from the Southeast Asian region. However, the Task Force has not allowed the opening because it is considered not ready.

"It has not been prepared, because of course everything goes through a process that needs to be careful," he said.

Previously, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked the Minister of Tourism Wishnutama Kusubandio to immediately prepare a special strategy to promote tourism in the new era of normality. He asked the Minister of Tourism to focus more on encouraging domestic tourism and domestic tourists.

As a first step, Jokowi then asked the Minister of Tourism to identify which tourism areas were ready to be visited because they were in areas with low transmission rates.

"I ask to identify tourist areas, tourist destinations that have R0 below 1 and Rt below 1 so that we can really gradually open up the tourism sector but at the same time with tight controls," said Jokowi when opening a limited meeting regarding the normal order. new in the productive and safe tourism sector COVID-19, Thursday, May 28.

Returning to the above, Jokowi also requested that the tourism promotion program prepared by the Minister of Tourism must simultaneously intensify domestic-made products and domestic tourism attractions.

He did not target the timing of this tourism implementation, but Jokowi asked for a number of steps to be prepared. Including strict supervision, so that there will not be the spread of COVID-19 even though tourism is reopened.

"Once again please follow this field closely before we open it so that both domestic and foreign tourists can travel safely and the community can be productive, especially for tourism players," he concluded.