Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia officially complies with the international code for the protection of tourists formulated by the United Nations of World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as an effort to provide protection to international tourists.
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno noted in a statement on Friday (June 16, 2023) that the code is a collective commitment from UNWTO members to ensure the protection of tourists visiting a destination.
It also encourages tourists to follow and respect customs that apply in the tourism destinations that they visit.
"This regulation is reciprocal in nature. In addition to receiving protection, they also have to comply with the agreement to respect local customs, cultures, and wisdom," he said.
The international code for the protection of tourists was adopted by UNWTO's General Assembly in its 24th session in Madrid, Spain, in 2021 through resolution 732 (XXIV).
Hence, Indonesia's compliance statement is deemed to be accurate for Indonesian tourism that is based on local wisdom.
"This compliance statement is our collective commitment to provide security and safety for tourists and ensures the integrity of our customs and cultural traditions," he said.
Under the agreement, Uno also invited UNWTO to participate in several forms of cooperation in the effort to improve the quality of tourism in Indonesia.
This cooperation involves the creation of knowledge-sharing activities between experts or destination managers concerning the implementation of sustainable tourism and methods to handle potential issues.
It also includes training and capacity improvement for professionals with trainings involving tourism marketing and conference on tourism marketing.
The cooperation also invited global tourism marketers to expand their network with global stakeholders.
Uno expects that this cooperation will help bolster the quality of the Indonesian tourism sector for the tourists that can lead to economic revival and creation of jobs and business opportunities.