Depok-“Based on VN Express International data for 2023, Indonesian tourism is in fifth position, after Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, with a total of 11.7 million foreign tourists. Vietnam is currently a threat to Indonesian tourism because of the many new destinations that have gone viral, which have been seriously prepared by the government and related parties,” said Dr. Diaz Pranita, M.M., tourism expert who is also a lecturer in Tourism Business Management, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (UI).
She considers the need for serious steps from the government to increase the global community’s interest in Indonesian tourism. This year, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy targets the movement of domestic tourists to reach 1.5 billion and the number of foreign tourist visits to reach 14.3 million people. According to Dr. Diaz, this target can be achieved through utilizing Indonesia’s natural and cultural riches as the main attraction for local and foreign tourists.
“Cultural and natural diversity is an important factor for differentiating tourism products or offers, so that the tourism experience in Indonesia cannot be found anywhere else. Water areas, for example, can be used as a magnet for tourists because Indonesia has many interesting destinations, such as the coral triangle, troughs and various rafting spots, as well as beaches with the highest rolling sea waves in the world in Mentawai, Nias, Rote, and Bali,” she said.
However, Dr. Diaz assesses that Indonesia’s tourism potential has not been utilized optimally. Indonesia’s tourism competitiveness is still weak, especially regarding accessibility, infrastructure, tourist facilities, management of tourist attractions, provision of tourist amenities, and human resource (HR) capacity. Airline and hotel capacity in several locations is also still limited. Public transportation is not yet integrated, and many destinations are not even digitally recorded, making it difficult to make real-time reservations.
In fact, running a tourism business professionally can support the country’s economic sector. By setting high standards for infrastructure, facilities and services, foreign tourists will gain memorable experiences and will recommend Indonesian tourist destinations to their friends or relatives. For this reason, efforts are needed to promote tourist destinations effectively and efficiently so that Indonesian tourism is increasingly recognized on the global stage.
“It is necessary to clearly identify who the Indonesian market is, what products are preferred, and what the strategic marketing plan is. Apart from that, consistency, commitment and collaboration between policy stakeholders is needed, so that the tourism products offered are quality and competitive,” said Dr. Diaz.
Apart from product and market identification, service is also an important aspect in tourism promotion. Indonesian human resources who are known to be friendly are an added value in this case. However, this friendliness needs to be balanced with HR skills, including language mastery. English should be a basic skill for tourism service providers.
Apart from that, Dr. Diaz mentioned the sustainability aspect as a basic element of current tourism development, including environmental and economic sustainability for local communities. “The development of tourist villages by the government was successfully carried out in Penglipuran Village, Bali, and Wae Rebo Village, East Nusa Tenggara. This shows that tourism development does not only require digital transformation, but also sustainable green transformation,” he said.
