Conscious Destinations Agenda presented to Indonesian Minister of Tourism
Menno Stokman and Jasper Heslinga presented the 'Agenda Conscious Destinations' to the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Dr. Sandiaga S. Uno and the daughter of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara. They are in the country on behalf of PUM Netherlands Senior Experts, who organised a symposium together with KPW Bank Indonesia DIY.
The pandemic had a huge impact on tourism in Indonesia, and the recovery is not going as well as in other parts of the world. This is exacerbated by political instability, strong inflation, rising inflation, and a food and energy crisis. These uncertainties raise questions about the extent to which recovery is possible.
At the symposium 'New strategy for building Yogyakarta tourism better post-COVID-19', Menno Stokman and Jasper Heslinga explained international tourism developments and the philosophy of the Agenda Conscious Destinations. According to Stokman, Yogyakarta can make good use of the perspective of Conscious Destinations to redesign tourism towards a more conscious and sustainable destination. They then handed over the ABB to the daughter of the Sultan. The visit was organised by PUM Netherlands at the invitation of the Center for Tourism Studies (PUSPAR) of the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta.
The visit comes at a strategic time. Indonesia chaired the G20 in 2022. During that period, the UNWTO report 'G20 Bali Guidelines for Strengthening Communities and MSMEs as Tourism Transformation Agents - A People-centered Recovery' was delivered. This report also pays attention to the CELTH Agenda Conscious Destinations.
In its Conscious Destinations Agenda (in Dutch Agenda Bewuste Bestemming), CELTH explicitly opts for the destination level because that is where all the different sub-sectors and actors come together. At the destination, hospitality and value is created for tourists, residents, and companies. In a Conscious Destination, the social value of the hospitality domain is put first. All actors work on the most positive possible economic, social, and ecological impacts for residents (quality of life), visitors (quality of experiences) and professionals within the domain (quality of work).
Stokman and Heslinga were in Indonesia all week on behalf of PUM. At the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, they have taught students about the conscious destination and advised local businesses.
