Wishnutama, BIG Cooperate to Draw Tourism Master Map

TEMPO.CO, Bogor - Tourism and Creative Economy Wishnutama instructed the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) to design a large-scale map of Indonesian tourist destinations as the big data for the drafting of the Integrated National Tourism Master Plan in a bid to boost tourist visits.

“It turns out that Tourism Ministry has not had a master map yet on tourism so far, while the map is extremely vital because the data can be used to draft our tourism master plan,” said the minister who familiarly called Tama at the BIG Office in Cibinong, Bogor, Thursday, February 20.

He said that the map will feature data on tourist sites across all Indonesian regions and islands, disaster-prone areas, and evacuation routes.

According to the minister, BIG will map many tourism issues, including the use of geospatial information. “I acknowledge that tourism cannot stand alone. It requires support from other ministries and institutions,” Tama added.

Wishnutama elaborated that BIG played a strategic role to help design and draft the integrated national tourism master plan, which was targeted to complete before the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence day in August this year.

The deputy head of BIG’s thematic geospatial information unit, Antonius Bambang Wijanarto, said that BIG had so far never been ordered by the Tourism Ministry to draw the said map. “Data asked by Pak Minister are actually simple, but it’s just been requested now,” he said.

Antonius reiterated that the master map will provide in-depth descriptions of how the change in spatial use could affect the patterns of the community’s life up to their welfare and recommendation on sustainable tourism development, including the disaster-prone areas and access routes of each tourist sites.

MUHAMMAD SIDIK PERMANA