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Indonesia addresses sanitary issue to further boost tourism sector

Xinhua, December 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

Indonesian ministries, agencies and industry associations teamed up to improve the nation's sanitary facilities, highly expected to significantly help government's efforts in boosting tourism.

The sanitary improvement drive was also intended to address the notice on Indonesia's shortcomings in tourism sector issued by World Economic Forum (WEF) in its last year's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, a senior official at Indonesia's Tourism Ministry said on Monday.

Through the drive government expects Indonesia's world tourism competitiveness rank would ascend to 30 by 2019 from 50 ranked by WEF in 2015.

The drive is manifested through improvement of public toilets whose competition is commenced at present.

"The public toilet design competition is expected to fix health and hygienic issue, aimed at meeting global standard," Dadang Rizki Ratman, tourism minister deputy for destination and tour industry development, said in the event to launch the competition held in the ministry's premises.

Besides health and hygienic issue, Indonesia's shortcomings in tourism sector cited by WEF were in tourism infrastructure, Information Communications and Technology facility and flight accessibility to the tour destinations, Dadan added.

Best toilet designs resulted from the competition would be applied in public utilities, such as traditional markets, and in airports.

"Clean and comfortable toilets in the airports would satisfy travelers, gives personal experience to their trips," a senior airport administrator Yudhi Sari Sitompul said.

Environmental Friendly elements are highly required in the design of each toilet, the competition organizer said.

Winners of the competition that provides total reward of 300 million rupiah (about 22,200 U.S. dollars) are scheduled to be announced in South East Asia Toilet (SEAT) Conference scheduled in March.

Indonesia has declared tourism sector as the nation's core business with a target to welcome 20 million foreign visitors by 2019 from 10 million ones recorded last year and 12 million targeted for this year.

The sector is expected to contribute more than 24 billion U.S. dollars to the nation's economy by 2019.

Indonesia is now developing 10 new tour destinations to comply with targets in tourism sector. Those new 10 tour destinations are expected to par with resort island of Bali in attracting foreign tourists. Enditem