The observatories, located in the regions of Sesaot, Senggigi Lombok Barat, Pangandaran and Sleman, will be hosted by the Bandung Institute of Technology, Gadjah Mada University and the Mataram University.
Indonesia has joined the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) with the opening of three sustainable tourism observatories, a move that positions Indonesia as a regional hub for sustainable tourism practices.
The announcement was made at PATA Travel Mart 2016 in Jakarta.
The observatories, located in the regions of Sesaot, Senggigi Lombok Barat, Pangandaran and Sleman, will be hosted by the Bandung Institute of Technology, Gadjah Mada University and the Mataram University.
The newly created bodies will monitor and ensure sustainable practices of the tourism sector in these regions.
They will be looking for examples of evidence-based decision-making and timely measurement and management of resources and activities, each indispensable factors of sustainable tourism development.
Together with the opening of the three observatories, Indonesia has endorsed 20 regions to test pilot sustainable tourism projects and chosen 10 priority destinations for the projects.
“The more we preserve, the more prosperous we become,” said Arief Yahya, Indonesia’s minister of tourism. “These observatories will contribute to Indonesia’s sustainable practices in other fields,” the minister added.
UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai said, “Institutional support is essential to ensure the sustainable development of the tourism sector and Indonesia is exemplary in coordinating all stakeholders to make these observatories a reality.”
INSTO provides a framework for the regular gathering, analysis and communication of information on tourism’s environmental, social and economic impacts in destinations.
Currently, the network includes a total of 14 observatories (eight in China, three in Indonesia, one in Greece, one in Mexico and one in Brazil).