Menparekraf Sandiaga Uno: Want Indonesian Tourism To Rise? 'Heal' Used To Be Bali

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno. (Photo: Instagram @sandiuno)

JAKARTA - Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) Sandiaga Uno said that Bali has become a benchmark for generating tourism and the creative economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sandiaga believes that with all the readiness of tourist destinations and the creative economy, Bali can rise from its economic downturn as well as an example for other regions in the country.

"Bali is the backbone of tourism and Indonesia's creative economy," Sandiaga said as quoted by Antara, Monday, December 28.

The founder of OK OCE admits that he has a special task from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to focus on five super priority destinations. Sandiaga wants Bali to be an example for the five super priority destinations to revive the tourism sector and the creative economy.

"Mr. President Jokowi asked me to focus on five super priority destinations. But these five super priority destinations have to learn from Bali, because Bali is a World Class. So if we want to develop it, we have to learn from all aspects of preparing tourist destinations from Bali. want Bali to be the main reference, "said the former Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta.

On the occasion of having a dialogue with business actors in the tourism and creative economy sector in Bali, Prabowo's former colleague in the 2019 Presidential Election claimed to have a program to boost economic revival.

"I encourage innovation, adaptation and collaboration programs. And in the framework of collaboration I need input from champions of the creative economy. I will study these inputs to later become our materials for generating the economy," he said.

Sandi, as he is usually called, also has a term program to revive the economy in the tourism sector and the creative economy. One way is to expand grant funds for tourism entrepreneurs and the creative economy.

"For the short term, this is to expand grant funds to cover tourism businesses and the creative economy outside hotels and restaurants. And cover many elements of the creative economy," he said.

The owner and founder of PT Saratoga Investama Sedaya Tbk also admitted that he had received a request from the Governor - Deputy Governor of Bali for the government to facilitate these business actors with soft loans. He will coordinate regarding this matter with the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani.

"Earlier, we also discussed with the governor and deputy governor and the ranks that there is a request to facilitate business actors in the tourism sector and the creative economy with soft loan funds with a value of Rp. 9.9 trillion which we will discuss with the Minister of Finance," he explained.