According to Junaedi, the trend of domestic travel has been supported by the government, which is focusing on quality rather than quantity in the development of tourism destinations.
He then highlighted the number of international events held in several destinations like Bali and Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara.
"Thousands of people entered (Indonesia) through various events such as the World Superbike in Mandalika and G20 in Bali. This is a sign Indonesia's tourism development is starting to improve," he explained.
With international events being held in Indonesian venues, many surrounding tourism villages are also being developed, and they are safe places because they are not crowded, he said.
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Furthermore, domestic travel is one of the keys that has helped revive Indonesia's tourism industry and economy from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Junaedi added.
"What can save Indonesian tourism is domestic travel, considering there are many (different) offers now," he remarked.
Nevertheless, he did not deny the fact that there are still some challenges that will be faced by the tourism industry in 2022.
"Challenges such as inconsistent regulations and funding. Government's funding for domestic tourism should be well-organized and well-governed," he elaborated.
The future trend in travel remains uncertain as the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended yet, he added.
"Along with the changes in regulations and policies, the (trend of travel) cannot be projected," he pointed out.
However, he affirmed, no one is pessimistic about the situation. According to Junaedi, even though the pandemic is still on, the government, through the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, is continuing to promote Indonesian tourism in a reasonable way.
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Translator: Arnidhya Z, Kenzu T
Editor: Suharto
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