Badung, Indonesianpost.com – Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, tourists have started showing a preference for destinations that promote environmentally sustainable and small-scale tourism.
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Speaking at the opening of the 2023 International Tourism Investment Forum (ITIF) here on Wednesday, he asked investors to prioritize green investment in developing sustainable tourism in Indonesia.
“We believe that investment after COVID-19 advances investments that are personalized, localized, bigger in impact, but smaller in size. Apart from that, this investment refers to green investment and this is the future of our economy,” he said.
According to him, the trend of tourism investment has also shifted to green tourism investment.
Green investment is an investment that prioritizes environmental sustainability in the tourism sector, and this trend is expected to continue in the future.
Uno said that based on the data that he has obtained, in 2022, Indonesia recorded US$225.28 billion in foreign direct investment in the tourism sector and US$577.87 billion in domestic direct investment.
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The minister expressed the hope that the ITIF will become a platform for sharing experiences and ideas between investors and stakeholders related to the development of sustainable tourism in Indonesia, especially since Indonesia has certain advantages in terms of natural and cultural wealth.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy developed the CHSE (cleanliness, health, safety, and environmental sustainability) protocol as part of an effort to increase tourist and investor confidence to develop an environmentally sustainable tourism sector.
“We must think out of the box in developing the existing tourism potential. Because tourism is not a problem; tourism is a part of the post-pandemic (economic) solution,” he added.
The ITIF is being held on July 26 and 27, 2023, in Badung, Bali.