Over 2,000 Hotels Shut Down amid Pandemic, says Luhut Pandjaitan

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Thursday said that the COVID-19 pandemic has largely affected the tourism industry due to the significant drop in tourist visits. 

He said thousands of hotels had decided to temporarily shut down from operating to stop hemorrhaging money even further. 

“More than 2,000 hotels and hostels have stopped operating, which caused the drop in demand for raw staples such as cooking oil, eggs, and milk. The effects are widespread,” said Luhut in a written statement on Thursday. 

Referring to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) records, Luhut said that the tourism industry had landslides to nearly 100 percent compared to previous months and had affected over 180,000 workers in the tourism and creative economy sector. 

In order to rebuild this sector, Luhut claims the government must push for a gradual increase in domestic tourists to the levels of 70 percent. He also announced that the government has allocated Rp3.8 trillion to create added value for tourists visiting tourist sites. 

Moreover, Bali - one of Indonesia’s most popular destinations - last week reported the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients had reached 74 percent and is eyeing to increase that number to 80 percent by the end of this week.

Read also: At Least 9 Hotels Closed in SE Sulawesi due to COVID-19 Outbreak

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA