Through Scholarships, Indonesian Hotel Investment Business Actors In Indonesia's Young Talenta

Hospitality scholarship recipients (Doc. RedDoorz)

JAKARTA - For Aldes Nasution, being the son of a farmer from Sitarias Village, Mandailing Natal in remote areas of North Sumatra did not prevent him from having a big dream. This Medan Tourism Polytechnic (Poltekpar) student is used to financing his own lectures from small businesses, while participating in various competitions for the sake of additional boarding fees and meals. Now, thanks to the Scholarship RedDoorz Excellent Diploma (RED) scholarship program, Aldes has managed to go further, he was chosen to take part in the five-star hotel internship program in Hong Kong.

As the tourism sector expands again, the need for professional labor in the hotel sector has also increased. Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said that the number of workers in the tourism sector in 2024 reached 25.01 million people, growing 2.5 percent compared to 24.41 million people in 2023, along with the increase in the number of tourist visits throughout 2023 2024.

However, behind this growth, the biggest challenge lies in the availability of skilled and ready-to-work human resources (HR), especially from young people who have limited access to education. Responding to these challenges, RedDoorz presents RED Scholarship, a full scholarship program for outstanding students from underprivileged families on four Tourism Polytechnic campuses: Medan, Palembang, Bali, and Lombok.

The RED Scholarship initiative is part of the RedDoorz collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) since July 2024, and will last until 2027. This scholarship includes tuition fees, living expenses, and internship opportunities on the RedDoorz property network and related brands.

"I used to doubt whether I could continue to study until it was finished, because I failed more than 9 college entrance tests and limited family economic conditions. But with this scholarship, I feel my path is open," said Aldes, quoted by the official RedDorz broadcast.

"Now I can focus on studying and interning abroad, something I never imagined in the past. I also have a big dream to become the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia."

Devi Febriana, PR Manager of RedDoorz, said that a story like Aldes is the main reason for launching RED Scholarship. Many Poltekpar students have great potential, but limited by economic conditions. We want them to have the same opportunity to develop and contribute to Indonesian tourism.

Support also came from the government. Hariyanto, Deputy for Destination Development and Infrastructure of the Ministry of Tourism, expressed his appreciation for this initiative.

We appreciate this initiative, not only in the Clean Tourism Movement but also in supporting vocational education in the tourism sector. Investment in young talents like this is very important to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of Indonesia's tourism industry going forward. Collaboration between the business world and educational institutions is an important foundation in producing superior human resources who are ready to compete at the global level," said Hariyanto.

Until 2025, this program has reached dozens of students from various majors, ranging from Hospitaliti Accounting Management to Tourism Businesses.