TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo reminds the tourism industry - at Thursday's virtual meeting on COVID-19 tourism, productivity, and safety - to take time and avoid prematurely opening their businesses amidst the pandemic.

He asserts that it is essential to understand the steps that need to be taken to abide by the ‘new normal‘ standards introduced for the tourism sector.

"As of when the time will come, please understand that this must not be hurried. Follow the steps that I mentioned well," said President Jokowi.

Besides asking to monitor aspect of implementing the ‘new normal’ guidelines, the president also encourages tourist destination managements to innovate and adapt to the change in trends happening in the global tourism industry.

Jokowi says it will be better to focus on domestic tourists before thinking about international tourists in terms of imposing strict health protocols.

The government plans to impose the new protocol across four provinces and 25 districts/ cities in Indonesia to spark productivity but also abiding by coronavirus (COVID-19) guidelines.

The four provinces slated for the new normal protocol are Jakarta, West Java, West Sumatra, and Gorontalo. Meanwhile, the 25 districts and cities include: Pekanbaru, Dumai, Kampar, Pelalawan, Siak, Bengkalis, Palembang, Prabumulih, Tangerang, South Tangerang City, Tegal, Surabaya, Malang, Palangkaraya, Tarakan, Banjarmasin, Banjar Baru, Banjar, Barito Kuala, and Buol.

ANTARA