Sandiaga Uno Optimistic That Marathon Run Can Support The Tourism Sector

Sandiaga Uno. (Antara Photo)

JAKARTA - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, believes that marathon running events, as well as other sports tourism, can encourage Indonesia's tourism sector so that the economy will bounce back after being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The trend of sport tourism (sports tourism) in the future will develop rapidly, along with public awareness of the importance of maintaining health. My dream is Indonesia to become one of the favorite destinations for marathons for running sports lovers," he said after running/jogging with the finishers of the World Marathon Majors (WMM) in Jakarta, as stated in a press statement, Monday 10 January.

Through this event, Sandiaga assessed that the natural beauty of the archipelago can be exhibited to open up business opportunities and employment opportunities for the community.

Based on several running activities that he participated in, Sandiaga considered the marathon event to be a tourist attraction that became the image of developed countries.

Furthermore, he said that public awareness of the importance of health is now a priority for the community in living life even though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the economy.

"Through exercise, our immunity increases, our immune system becomes our strength against COVID-19," he said as reported by Antara.

In an event held by the Jakarta Berlari Community and supported by Run for Indonesia with Delimax & Treejee, Menparekraf along with eight runners who successfully completed WMM in 6 prestigious running events such as Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York toured the Selong area, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

The six runners include Ellianah Setiady, Hitan Ayu, Adrian Chaniago, Fitri Ardantya, Adhianarizta, Qing Song, and Medias Oktaviani. "I ran with the WMM Six Star finishers who have traveled the world. There are many stories behind the struggle of the WMM finishers from Indonesia," he said.

According to Sandiaga Uno, the experience of runners can inspire the performance of similar running events such as WMM.