The Tourism Ministry says it will be giving awards to the country’s best tourist destinations in the first ever Indonesia Sustainable Tourism Awards (ISTA), set to be held this month.
The award targets destinations with the best progress and results under four main categories, namely tourist destination management, economic utilization for local people, cultural preservation for the public and visitors and environmental preservation.
Selected destinations will be assessed based on the criteria stated in the ministry regulation No. 14/2016 on the guidelines for sustainable tourist destinations in Indonesia, which is recognized by World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and adopted from the GTSC.
Following an assessment process which will be done in the form administrative selection, desk evaluation and direct visit, the destinations with the highest score in each category will be chosen as the winner and receive the ISTA award.
Winners of ISTA 2017 will be announced on Sept. 29 at the Tourism Destination Appreciation (APDI) 2017 event that will be held to commemorate World Tourism Day. The winners will later become Indonesian candidates for ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards (ASTA).
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya hopes the award will lift Indonesia’s tourism, which boasts an abundance of nature and cultural resources, to be competitive at international level.
“I can’t imagine this country winning in manufacturing, but we can be the winner in tourism or at least we can envision this country winning it. If you can imagine it, you can reach it,” said Arief, as quoted by The Jakarta Post.
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