Indonesia Receives Environmentally Friendly Tourism Reference Document

PRESS RELEASE

COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA TEAM OF THE 2023 HLM OF THE AIS FORUM

No.57/SP/TKM-AISFORUM2023/10/2023

Bali, 10 October 2023 – Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Menparekraf/Kabaparekraf) of the Republic of Indonesia, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, received the Decarbonization Roadmap from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as a document that will be a common reference in preparing strategic plans in carrying out climate action in the tourism sector that is more environmentally friendly, has lower emissions, and achieves net zero emissions.

The decarbonization road map document was submitted by the Head of UNDP Indonesia Representative Norimasa Shimomura on the sidelines of the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the AIS Forum 2023, Tuesday, 10 October at the Bali Nusa Dua Conference Center 1, Badung Regency, Bali.

"This road map development aims to formulate a strategic plan detailing the goals and activities to achieve a low-carbon tourism sector, especially to efficiently use resources and reduce the amount of waste generated from the tourism industry," said Minister Sandiaga.

Tourism is a sector that greatly contributes to Indonesia's economic growth. In 2022, foreign tourist visits reached 5.89 million people, with a tourism foreign exchange value of US$6.72 billion, an increase from 2021 of US$530.74 million.

Last year, domestic tourists reached 734.86 million trips, an increase of 19.82 percent (YoY) and 1.76 percent higher than the pre-COVID-19 pandemic condition in 2019.

These positive figures are in line with other achievements in the tourism and creative sector. Indonesia's tourism development index rose 12 places to 32nd in the world, surpassing Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

However, Indonesian tourism faces big challenges in the future. Apart from the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) conditions caused by global political conditions, Indonesia must be vigilant for climate change challenges. There are three main problems in the climate challenges called the triple planetary crisis. They are climate change, pollution, and biodiversity challenges.

"Therefore, concrete action is needed to overcome the triple planetary crisis to maintain the sustainability of the tourism sector in Indonesia," said Sandiaga.

Minister Sandiaga said this road map focuses on three main tourism subsectors, namely accommodation (star hotels), tourist attractions, and tours and travel. They are identified as the largest emitters in the tourism sector.

The accommodation subsector produces significant emissions because hotels, especially star hotels, use a lot of energy for operational activities, especially heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC).

In the accommodation subsector, emissions come from rubbish and waste produced and the use of electricity, gas, and fuel. Apart from that, Star Hotel accommodation produces quite significant waste originating from solid waste, including food waste and liquid waste.

Furthermore, the tour and travel subsector also produces emissions from the use of passenger vehicles, such as buses.

The tourist attractions subsector, especially artificial attractions, which receive large numbers of tourist visits daily, is also one of the emitters in the tourism industry as tourists on vacation are very likely to visit attraction sites in a region.

The use of energy at tourist attractions cannot be avoided. It will produce emissions both from energy and waste produced. "Therefore, the three main subsectors of tourism must immediately take mitigation steps by using renewable energy and handling waste properly," said Minister Sandiaga.

Minister Sandiaga hopes that this Decarbonization Road Map can serve as a guide for various tourism industry stakeholders in Indonesia in formulating appropriate solutions and programs while providing action preferences in achieving net zero emissions.

"Let us start taking low-carbon action for a better earth," he concluded. (Kemparekraf/Elvira Inda Sari)

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About AIS Forum:

The Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum is a global platform for cooperation among island and archipelagic states that aims at strengthening collaboration to address global issues with four main areas of focus: climate change mitigation and adaptation, the blue economy, marine plastic waste management, and good maritime governance. The 2023 High-Level Meeting of the AIS Forum is organized to reinforce the role of the AIS Forum as a center for smart & innovative solutions and a platform for collaboration in promoting the future agenda of global maritime governance.

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Director General of Public Information and Communications of the Ministry of Communications and Informatics – Usman Kansong (0816785320).

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Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Menparekraf/Kabaparekraf) of the Republic of Indonesia, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, receives the Decarbonization Roadmap from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as a document that will become a common reference in preparing strategic plans for carrying out climate action in the tourism sector that is more environmentally friendly, low emissions, and achieves net zero emissions, on Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at Bali Nusa Dua Conference Center 1, Badung Regency, Bali.