By APD writer Aditya Nugraha

JAKARTA, Dec. 3 (APD) – Indonesia Tourism Ministry announced 17 winners of national sustainable tourism award, expected to further advance sustainability standards in national tourism spots.

The Indonesia Sustainable Tourism Award (ISTA) this year were delivered for those winning the criteria in various categories set by organizer, comprised of tour spot management, economic empowerment for locals, social culture and environment-friendly.

Appeared as the ultimate winner in the competition this year was a resort in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province, Nihi Sumba.

Speaking in the session to announce the winners, Indonesia Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that the 2018 was participated by 176 tour spot operators, higher than 95 last year.

The minister said indicators used to assess operators taking part in the competition were adopted from criteria set by GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council).

“We use standard of assessment that refers to international level so as to make our tourism spots have international standards in serving the tourists,” the minister said here over the weekend.

The award program for national tourism spot operators was necessary to further boost their confidence, credibility and calibration in international community, he added.

The ministry’s expert for tourism development Valerina Daniel said that key elements constituted in process to assess the operators were how they empowered the economy of locals around, how they address green issue, how they prosper their surroundings and how they run their tour spot business.

“Overall the ministry puts an idiom of ‘the more preserved the more prosperous will be’,” she said, adding that assessment process has commenced since July this year.

Besides for the operators, ISTA program also delivered awards for tour guides and local figures who intensively promote sustainable tourism in their neighborhoods.

Apart from that, 2018 ISTA also awarded designers of souvenir stores in tour spots. The award was intended to support operation of new 10 destinations built across the country.

The Southeast Asia’s largest economy has put tourism as part of the nation’s industries with 20 million foreign tourists targeted to arrive next year, higher than 17 million ones targeted this year.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)