Seizing Tourism Recovery

KOMPAS/REGINA RUKMORINI

A number of tourists take pictures in front of Borobudur temple, Magelang regency, Central Java, Thursday (25/6/2020).

Tourism can drive the people\'s economy with the industry’s awareness that consumer behavior is changing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector was Indonesia’s mainstay for foreign exchange earnings and employment. During the pandemic, tourism was the hardest hit sector.

Nearly six months after the first Covid-19 case was identified, a number of economic regions, including China, South Korea and the European Union, have begun to reopen their tourism sector. Several tourist attractions have also started to reopen in Indonesia. Interest is very high among the local people in visiting tourist attractions, but they tend to neglect the health protocols.

Read also: Beware of New Covid-19 Clusters at Tourist Attractions

Tourism is often regarded as the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to drive the people\'s economy. The impacts on the economy are felt immediately when tourists use transportation services, retail, accommodation and other services. However, tourism could also become a new source of virus transmission if the management of tourist sites and supporting industries do not follow the health protocols.

It estimates that the tourism sector will need around one to 1.5 years to recover.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has made its projections based on three major events: the 11 Sept. 2001 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in the United States, the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, and the 2008-2009 global economic crisis. It estimates that the tourism sector will need around one to 1.5 years to recover. (Kompas, 19/6/2020).

The Covid-19 pandemic is different from the three events above. The Covid-19 pandemic has spread quickly because most infected people can remain active and some have no symptoms. Although the fatality rate among infected people is low, the virus’ rapid spread has resulted in a high global death toll. This condition has caused people to rethink about traveling like they did before the pandemic, at least until a vaccine is developed.

Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta

Visitors pass a wooden bridge at the Wonorejo mangrove tourism site, Surabaya, East Java, on Monday (6/22/2020). Surabaya City Government is now re-opening the conservation tourism area to the public. However, visitors are asked to comply with health protocols.

The UNWTO said that the number of tourists this year had dropped to half of last year’s figure. It would take more than two years for tourism to recover to last year’s level. The good news is that the Asia-Pacific region will recover faster.

To seize the benefits from the recovery of tourism, we must be able to convince the global community that we have adopted world-recognized health protocols for foreign and domestic tourists and for all industry players.

Read also: Reopened Borobudur Temple Relieves Boredom

We can start by striving to turn certain areas into sustainable “green zones” of tourism, namely areas that have relatively adequate infrastructure, sufficiently reliable human resources and solid renown among foreign countries.

The strict requirements for domestic and foreign tourists as imposed by other countries must also be applied to selected tourist areas. We need to demonstrate the readiness of our health infrastructure in managing Covid-19. Accordingly, testing people for Covid-19 must continue.