Time For Tourism Managers To Clean Up For New Normal Tourism

The Beauty of Lake Toba (Moksa Hutasoit / VOI)

JAKARTA - All Indonesian tourist destinations have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This should be a good momentum for destination managers in the country to evaluate and rearrange their tourist attractions to start implementing sustainable tourism.

Believe me, after we pass this pandemic, there will be a “new normal” condition or a new trend in traveling. Later, tourists will pay more attention to tourism protocols, especially those related to health, security, comfort, sustainable and responsible tourism to authentic digital ecosystem.

"Things like this will be our platform in the future, how sustainable tourism will become a consequence of the tourism development section," said the Expert Staff for Sustainable Development and Conservation at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Frans Teguh, in a press release, Wednesday, May 6. .

The Deputy Head of GIPI, who is also a member of the Indonesia Sustainable Tourism Council (ISTC), David Makes, said that sustainable tourism would be a very big opportunity in the future. Especially post-pandemic, because in addition to being a tourist need from an investment side, it is not too big.

He gave an example of the rivers in Venice, Italy, where usually the bed of the river was never seen, but now it is very clear and many fish and even dolphins enter the Venice area. This is what must be capitalized in the future.

"Without having to do large-scale reinvestment but capitalizing on what is already around the destination but with a little sustainable touch it can give birth to new tourism both as a destination and as a tourism product. However, a leader is needed to be able to produce what we call 'new normal' tourism , "said David Makes.

Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Azwar Anas also agrees that the direction of sustainable development policies is a great opportunity in welcoming post-pandemic tourism. The Banyuwangi Regency Government is ready and has a tourism recovery program, one of which is a sustainable tourism approach.