"It is about pollution that is being talked about, that visibility in Jakarta is not even up to four kilometers," the ministry's Director of Special Interest Tourism, Itok Parikesit, stated at the 1st Indonesia Mountain Tourism Conference (IMTC) held here on Wednesday.
The ministry expressed its support for the 1st IMTC as an effort to promote the potential of mountain tourism in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, apart from pollution, Parikesit drew attention to challenges related to climate change, such as sociocultural and economic impacts.
In handling environmental issues in the tourism sector, he remarked that the ministry has collaborated with partners to hold the "We Start Now" movement that aims to raise awareness of climate change caused by plastic waste and bolsters the implementation of carbon footprint.
Parikesit highlighted that in developing sustainable mountain tourism, his side promotes climate and low-impact tourism in mountain areas, conducts periodic reviews, and enforces baggage capacity in accordance with the regulation.
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The ministry also strives to empower local communities in developing mountain tourism while concurrently bolstering cooperation between government and the private sector in innovation and product development.
Moreover, the ministry pushes for an increase in investment in infrastructure to support the digitization of services.
On the same occasion, the ministry's Deputy for Tourism Products and Event Organization, Vinsensius Jemadu, invited various parties to implement tourism quality pillars and heed to environmental impacts of travel.
He also expressed optimism that the conference on mountain tourism would produce visionary inputs for the government, so that it can prepare and apply mitigatory measures in tourist destinations.
"Let us contribute visionary and long-term policy (recommendations) to the government," he stated.
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Translator: Sinta A, Kenzu
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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