The rise of tourism with digital transformation

Indonesia will take advantage of the demographic bonus in 2030. How do you encourage the readiness of digital talents to help boost digital economy growth? 

The development of the digital industry has changed the need for workforces. The World Bank and McKinsey projected that between 2015 and 2030, Indonesia would need approximately nine million talented workforces in the digital sector. Therefore, we need a palpable breakthrough by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Department of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf) embodied in the Baparekraf Developer Day and Baparekraf Digital Talent.

Baparekraf Developer Day is an event held by Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf aiming to upskilling app developers’ technical capacity in Indonesia. This event facilitates the transfer of knowledge and awareness of industry standards directly from successful practitioners, especially in app development.  

Meanwhile, Baparekraf Digital Talent (BDT) refers to the Upskilling Program for Creative Digital Talents as a government initiative to develop and increase the capacity of creative economy players, especially in app development. In 2021, Baparekraf Digital Talent (BDT) facilitated Belajar Android Jetpack Pro and became the Front-End Web Developer Expert for 1,515 Developers.

The pandemic has significantly affected tourism and creative economy players, especially MSMEs. How can we encourage the growth of the creative sector amid the pandemic?

Digital transformation is one of the options that could be used to face the pandemic impact. Digitization of the creative economy ecosystem brings multiple benefits to the actors. Digital transformation helps a business unit to become more efficient and stable. It is because digital transformation allows the practical simplification of operational procedures. Also, the digital ecosystem would support company scale-up since digital technology creates a more modern work environment. 

Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf initiates several programs to help MSMEs facing the pandemic, including Proud of Indonesian Products (Program Stimulus Bangga Buatan Indonesia/PSBBI), Government Incentives and Assistance Program (Program Bantuan Insentif Pemerintah/BIP), Business Safety net (Jaring Pengaman UsahaJPU), and Government Aid for Tourism Sector (BPUP).

What is the trajectory of tourism development post-pandemic?

The key factors for tourism and creative economy businesses to survive the pandemic and industry megashift are the capacity of successful adaptation, innovation, and collaboration. It is due to the modified social behavior and shifting tourism trends.

From the innovation aspect, we encourage harnessing digital platforms for tourism marketing to provide optimized services. Regarding adaptation, we ensure that health protocols are non-negotiable in the new normal. In collaboration, we partner with all stakeholders in the pentahelix. 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the emerging characteristics of the new tourism economy: hygiene, low mobility, crowd avoidance, and physical distancing, all commonly known as personalized, customized, localized, and smaller in size. The 3A concept (attraction, amenity, access) is changing due to the new emerging form of the tourism economy. Tourist attractions nowadays put forward cultural and natural aspects because they offer more attractive ecology, wellness, and adventures that will be the main driver of the tourism sector.

 What sort of collaborations can potentially be developed between Kemenparekraf and the startup players to boost economic recovery?

The collaboration between Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf and startups may embody coaching/incubation, business matching with the investors, or national and international promotions. One of the programs in business matching is FoodStartup Indonesia (FSI) 2021, which creates space for startups to meet potential investors and pitch their business development ideas to gain capital. Another program is Barekraf for Startup (BEKUP), focusing on startup incubation or scale-up programs. In 2022, the Ministry will collaborate with startups like Bukalapak, Blibli, Grab, and 11 other digital platforms to organize Program Stimulus Bangga Buatan Indonesia (PSBBI). 

To support the government initiatives in accelerating the Super Priority Tourist Destination development, accommodation franchises such as Bobobox have collaborated with Kemenparekaf to present Bobocabin in the Toba Lake tourism spot.