Jakarta (ANTARA) - The G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) will focus on tourism and creative economy resilience through the empowerment of communities as agents of change for tourism transformation, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has said.
"The working group will focus on empowering the community through the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as community-based tourism," he remarked at the virtual 2022 G20 TWG Kick-Off Meeting on Monday.
It is expected that the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and tourism ministers of various countries involved in the working group would agree on a guideline for strengthening the role of communities and MSMEs in reviving the tourism sector, he said.
“We must strive to ensure that the outcome documents from all G20 members can accommodate the three pillars of economic recovery, as directed by President Joko Widodo, including inclusive health, digital transformation, and energy transmission," he emphasized.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered the development of the tourism sector, with the number of foreign tourists in 2020 globally declining by 1 billion or around 74 percent compared to 2019, he noted.
The situation has threatened the livelihoods of 34 million tourism players, he said.
Hence, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is encouraging various innovations, adaptations, and collaborations for responding to the shifting tourism trend, which is now focused on more quality tourism with more customized, local, and personalized concepts, he informed.
Currently, tourism and creative sector players are also prioritizing the development of sustainable and eco-friendly tourism with the implementation of the principles of carbon footprint calculator and carbon offset, he said.
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In addition, the tourism concept also supports the capacity building of human resources in the sector, he added.
Furthermore, through the working group, it is hoped that all stakeholders will support global and domestic economic recovery attempts, Uno said.
"Hopefully, 2022 will be an amazing and promising year for the global community, especially the tourism and the creative economy sector," he remarked.
Indonesia’s 2022 G20 Presidency has two meeting tracks -- one of which is the Sherpa Track, which discusses non-financial issues, including tourism.
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