TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Despite not providing a direct response to Bali’s inclusion in Fodor's No List 2020, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry’s special staff for sustainable tourism development, Valerina Daniel, says that the ministry’s decree No.14/2016 can become a guideline of tourist destinations across Indonesia.

“We hope that the Tourism Ministry’s Decree No.14/2016 can be a guideline of destinations across Indonesia,” said Valerina Daniel in South Jakarta on Thursday, Nov. 21.

She explains that the decree is specifically issued to develop tourist destinations accordingly to the principle of sustainable tourism. “That is acknowledged by UNWTO,” she said.

However, Valerina acknowledges that in reality, the effectiveness of the decree might not have been maximized as it was only introduced in 2016. As for Bali, she says that the government has worked together with the Udayana University to monitor the implementation of the sustainable tourism observatory program.

Fodor’s Travel included Bali and Komodo Island in their Fodor's No List 2020, which is motivated by the number of issues currently facing the two popular tourist sites and is mainly a reminder to promote better sustainable tourism. The media argues that Bali is currently facing over-tourism, garbage emergency, clean water scarcity, and impolite tourists.

BRAM SETIAWAN