"We are conducting training and mentoring. We are also preparing to establish a tourism polytechnic in collaboration with the West Manggarai district government or other parties," Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said here on Friday.
There was a request from the West Manggarai government and the community to set up a tourism polytechnic to develop Labuan Bajo's human resources, he added.
With the presence of such an educational institution, West Manggarai's human resources are expected to gain new and better skills.
Uno said he is optimistic that the training program being conducted by the Implementing Agency for the Labuan Bajo Flores Authority (BPOLBF) would improve human resource skills.
Labuan Bajo must have qualified and world-class human resources working in hotels, villas, and pinisi boats to attract more tourists, according to the minister.
Meanwhile, BPOLBF president director Shana Fatina said the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, through the BPOLBF, is developing a creative ecosystem that includes developing professional human resources in the tourism sector.
The local government is expected to provide a plot of land measuring 20 hectares at the least to build a green campus for the tourism polytechnic, she added.
The number of workers in the tourism and creative economy sector in Labuan Bajo is currently pegged at only 4,500, Fatina noted.
To achieve the target capacity of New Labuan Bajo, which is to serve 20 thousand tourists daily, the number of tourism workers will be increased to 15 thousand.
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Translator: Fransiska MN, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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