Uplifting Recovery for Next Year

Kompas

Ships dock in the Nusa Dua Beach area, Bali, Sunday (30/11/2018). Nusa Dua is one of the areas in Bali where there are many lodging places and meeting rooms to support the holding of MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government is preparing for the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) industry to recover quickly. The strategy, among others, is through the implementation of cleanliness, health, safety and environmental sustainability protocols.The step to leverage the revival of the MICE industry next year involves the government and industry players.

Undersecretary for Tourism Products and Events of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry Rizki Handayani Mustafa said the MICE industry was hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. This condition has an impact on many sectors, including business in buildings, hotels, transportation, exhibition organizers, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

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"We can come back as long as we want to innovate and collaborate," said Rizki in the webinar titled The Comeback Plan of MICE for 2021, which was held by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry in collaboration with Kompas, Thursday (10/12/2020).

The government and stakeholders have developed cleanliness, health, safety and environmental sustainability (CHSE) guidelines for the tourist industry. Next year, all business players in the tourist sector are targeted to have registered to take part in the CHSE certification.

We can come back as long as we want to innovate and collaborate.

"(CHSE) is to convince the world that we are preparing ourselves for the return of MICE actors to Indonesia," she said.

On a separate occasion, Deputy Minister for State-Owned Enterprises Kartika Wirjoatmodjo emphasized that CHSE certification fosters public confidence to return to travel. Its application is in various fields related to the tourism industry, including hotels and transportation facilities.

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Kartika estimated that the recovery of the tourist industry at an early stage will be supported by domestic tourists. "If we can maintain the rules for maintaining distance and the CHSE, the tourism industry can recover next year. Indonesian people already want a vacation," he added.

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The potential of MICE in Bali

Quoting data from the Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association (Asperapi), which has 673 members, 239 exhibitions were canceled in March-December 2020. The potential loss this year is Rp 147 trillion.

MICE has the opportunity to be revived as long as it follows health protocols.

Based on the Kompas Research and Development survey, 38.5 percent of respondents still wanted to go on trips during this pandemic. The survey of 1,200 respondents in 34 provinces in July-August 2020 showed the highest interest in open areas, such as marine tourism (28 percent), nature tourism (19.5 percent) and shopping tourism (12 percent).

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The desire to wear masks and apply health protocols in malls, restaurants and hotels tends to be lax when compared to other public places, such as traditional markets. However, the majority of respondents are willing to be involved in efforts to prevent Covid-19.

"MICE has the opportunity to be revived as long as it follows health protocols," said Nila Kirana, a Kompas Research and Development researcher.

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Director of MICE of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry Iyung Masruroh said that the MICE industry provided added value, among others, a positive image for tourist destinations. Events in Indonesia, such as the Asian Games and the Annual Meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, have made Indonesia confident as a MICE and tourism destination.

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

Hotel staff wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, face shields and gloves while serving participants in the Immigration Socialization held by the Class I Immigration Office at the Mataram Immigration Checkpoint at Jayakarta Hotel, West Lombok, Wednesday (22/7/2020). Currently, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) activities are starting to be held in hotels in Lombok with the implementation of strict health protocols.

Based on data from the 2019 International Congress and Conference Organization (ICCA), Indonesia is ranked 41st in the world for organizing meetings. Meanwhile in Asia Pacific, Indonesia is in 10th place and in ASEAN it is 4th.

"Before tourism is opened for foreign visits, we can still expect a lot from domestic tourism. It is hoped that the meeting of ministries, institutions, associations and corporations will arise first," she said.

Collaboration

Leonard Theosabrata, the president director of the Marketing Service Institute for Cooperative and Small and Medium Business of the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister, explained that more physical and virtual collaborative exhibitions are being held to revive MICE. "Efforts to revive the MICE industry in 2021 are not about the application of 3D technology, but rather how to design interactions among all components. What kind of interaction is real in order to create real results and benefits,” he said.

Quality tourism has become a new focus on increasing tourism.

Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association Budi Tirtawisata added that hotel and restaurant business actors have gone through the worst times during the Covid-19 pandemic. The recovery of tourism and MICE requires the adoption of strict health protocols to provide consumers with a sense of security and comfort.

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Endang Mawardi from Asperapi said that the challenge of restoring MICE is implementing the CHSE in detail, by involving the government and business associations in the MICE industry.

"Quality tourism has become a new focus on increasing tourism. MICE is the most instant answer because the industry is ready and provides extraordinary added value,” he said.