JAKARTA - The climbing path of Mount Rinjani is known as one of the favorite destinations for local and foreign climbers. The natural beauty offered is extraordinary, but the hiking trail is classified as challenging and high risk.
Therefore, the security aspect along the hiking trail is an important concern, especially after the emergence of a number of incidents involving foreign tourists. Efforts to improve safety continue to be carried out, including periodic evaluation of facilities, officers' readiness, to standard climbing operator service standards.
Responding to the incident experienced by tourists from Brazil recently, the Ministry of Tourism took quick steps by conducting evaluations with a number of related parties.
The main focus of this evaluation is strengthening the surveillance and safety system in the Mount Rinjani area and other extreme tourist sites in Indonesia.
"We are committed to preventing similar incidents from happening again. The ministry will tighten supervision and strengthen periodic evaluations to ensure that all tourism activities, especially those at high risk, run according to security standards," said Deputy for Destination Development and Infrastructure at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Hariyanto, as quoted by ANTARA.
Concrete steps that have been taken include cross-institutional coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, BASARNAS, and the local government.
In addition, supervision of travel agents, tour operators, and tour guides will be improved, especially those that have been certified and participated in official training.
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Hariyanto also said that in the near future his party proposed establishing a special rescue center around the Rinjani route. Training for porters and tour guides is also designed more comprehensively with a focus on emergency response capabilities.
For the medium term, the plan to procure emergency communication and evacuation tools at a number of climbing points is a priority. This aims so that first aid action can be carried out immediately while waiting for assistance from the SAR team. In addition, the Rinjani 360 Line digitization system will be developed which can be used as an interactive guide by climbers.
The government's long-term plan includes the construction of additional posts on the hiking trail complete with rescue gear, in order to add a safe spot for climbers who are experiencing difficulties.
Regarding safety equipment that must be carried by guides, Hariyanto emphasized that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has been in close cooperation with BASARNAS for tourism safety training. This collaboration will be expanded so that porters and guides are really ready to provide first aid before professional assistance arrives.
Although there is no new post-incident policy yet, the Ministry still adheres to the applicable regulations, namely Permenparekraf Number 4 of 2021 which regulates security standards in risk-based tourism businesses.
As a long-term preventive measure, safety training for guides will continue to be improved so that destinations such as Rinjani remain safe to visit and do not sacrifice the safety of visitors.
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