Coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19, has impacted all sectors, not only tourism. While chairing a limited internal meeting by teleconference from Bogor Presidential Palace, Jawa Barat, Thursday, 16th April 2020, President Joko Widodo assessed that the world of tourism is the sector that is affected the most by COVID-19.
“We know the hardest, and first that felt the impact of COVID-19 is the tourism world. Those affected were hotels, restaurants, and also people who peddle handicraft items. Hence, mitigation measures need to be done as soon as possible,” said the President in his introduction.
The mitigation that needs to be done is the first social protection program for workers that work in the tourism sector. The President asked that the program is really created, and it reaches the right target.
“Then, the second will be the reallocation of the existing budget. From the Tourism Ministry needs to be directed towards something, I haven’t know the item, but a type of program that is labor-intensive for workers engaged in the tourism field,” he added.
As for the third mitigation, the President asked that his cabinet prepare an economic stimulus for businesses in the tourism and creative economy sector. The President believes that this needs to be done for them to survive and prevent layoffs (termination of employment) on a large scale.
The President believes that the sluggishness of the tourism sector, due to the coronavirus pandemic, will only last until the end of the year. For this reason, an attitude of optimism needs to be continually built so that the tourism sector is able to take advantage of the rising momentum as soon as the downturn ends.
“I believe this is only until the end of the year. Next year, there will be a boom in tourism. Everyone will want to go out, and everyone will want to enjoy the beauty that is around the regions where there is tourism so that the optimism needs to be carried constantly. Do not let us be caught in pessimism because of COVID-19, so that when the boom emerges after COVID-19 is over, we are not able to take advantage of it,” he said.
Bogor, 16th April 2020
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