SEEKING an approach to sustainable tourism development that takes into account the welfare of indigenous communities, Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have jointly launched the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism and Green Jobs for Indonesia.
Speaking at the Bali Sustainable Tourism Conference yesterday, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy, Sapta Nirwandar, explained that sustainable tourism development practices were already relatively well established in the country.
“The Strategic Plan serves as a policy recommendation to determine the professional development of sustainable tourism (in Indonesia),” he said.
Also at the conference, Indonesia tourism planning expert and ILO consultant, Myra Gunawan, urged sustainable tourism development to take into account both the local environment and people.
She explained: “There needs to be a mindset change among tourism stakeholders from merely measuring tourism development in terms of arrivals and spending, to including how much the development has improved the welfare of people in a destination.”
Citing the example of Machu Picchu in Peru, where the government’s concessions to the private sector for tourism development came at the expense of the livelihoods of 10,000 local fishermen and farmers, Gunawan pointed out that such cases should be avoided.
She urged the government to establish guidelines to ensure that future tourism investments would provide tangible benefits and sustainable income avenues for local communities.
