"Sustainable tourism is becoming a new trend in the tourism development sector and Indonesia's creative economy, and we believe sustainable tourism will open up opportunities to preserve the environment," Minister Uno said via video recording here on Sunday.
He conveyed this appeal while giving directions at the opening of the National Youth Conference Expedition, which carried the theme "Cultural Collaboration on an Expedition for Areas in Hidden organized by Andalas University.
Minister Uno said that if students could contribute, especially in the development of tourist villages that promote green tourism, that would have great potential for Indonesia.
As agents of development, students, said the minister, must be able to take an important role in this development with a fast, agile, and intensive spirit to realize the Golden Generation of 2045.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chancellor I of Andalas University Mansyurdin said that students not only need to have academic abilities but also non-academic ones to support their success after completing their education.
"When we enter society, our future will be largely determined by our soft skills," he said.
Mansyurdin sees the 2023 national expedition as an important part of every student's process of honing their soft skills.
He said the 2023 national expedition was also in line with the Freedom to Learn: Independent Campus program, which was initiated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.
Through community service, Mansyurdin hopes that the students will not only go on expeditions but also be able to develop the potential that exists in the Sarugo Region, Gunung Omeh Sub-District, and Limapuluh Kota District in a sustainable manner.
"We hope this will continue, for example, with the thematic Community Service Program (KKN) to village development through the Freedom to Learn-IIndependent Campus program," he said.
Therefore, this activity is expected to be beneficial to the community, especially in that area.
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Translator: Muhammad Zulfikar, Katriana
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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