Tourism over Industry: The Reason behind the Idul Adha’s Holiday Extension
Moreover, this step is also expected can create a door gate in decreasing dependency on industrial sectors towards a more local-based economy. Pictures: Unsplash
The government decided to extend the Idul Adha’s National Holiday by two days. This policy came after the release of The holiday designation (Surat Keputusan Bersama) which were signed by Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah, and Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (Menpan RB) Abdullah Azwar Anas in Joint Decrees Number 624 of 2023, Number 2 of 2023, and Number 2 of 2023 concerning the Second Amendment to the Joint Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs, Minister of Manpower, and Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform (Detik News). However, despite granted on the ground of “triggering regional economy” some were criticizing such a policy due to the concern of decreasing productivity of the workers in the manufacturing industrial sectors. Therefore, this article will explore more about the three days extension as a strategy to prioritize tourism over industry.
During a visit to Bogor, Jokowi gave a statement emphasizing that the extension of Idul Adha holiday was implemented in order to stimulate the local economy. He explicitly stated such a strategy was put in place to support local tourism (Detik News). This statement rests on a very simple logic: people will use their almost one-week of day offs to visit a number of local attractions where the majority are located in the outskirts of town and small cities. Moreover, the increasing wave of tourists visiting will also bring an increase in the use of public transportation as well as public infrastructures, such as toll roads, trains, buses, and airplanes. To put it in a more effective sentence, holiday extension will stimulate consumption in tourism sectors.
In Indonesia, tourism indeed is a very potential sector for economic growth yet, underdeveloped. This particular sector even appears quite vulnerable especially during the time of Covid-19 pandemic. According to statistics by OECD, tourism sectors contributed nearly 5% of economic growth based on GDP (Growth Domestic Products) (Firman, dkk, 2022). However, it was badly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic which marked a very sharp decline to 2,2% in 2020. As we entered the end of Covid restrictions, the government later implement multiple attempts to promote many regions where some of potential tourist attractions are located. The government in the 2020-2024 RPJMN has designated 10 Priority Tourism Destinations (DPSP) (Lake Toba, Tanjung Kalayang, Borobudur, Wakatobi, Morotai, Tanjung Lesung, Kep. Seribu &; Kota Tua, Bromo Tengger Semeru, Mandalika, and Labuan Bajo) as 'New Bali'. (Kemenkeu, 2023)
However, the decision to prioritize tourism proves not to be beneficial for everyone. Those who works at manufacturing industry might claim this policy will harm the productivity of workers particularly and the company itself in general. Few industrial companies–ranging from manufacturing to tech-companies–decided to continue working on the extension days before and after the Idul Adha since it was not mandatory, rather according to the statement by Ministry of Manpower these “holidays” are optional since they coincide with working days and adjustable. If we analyze thoroughly, this particular concern is supported by a very significant reason. The manufacturing import is valued as much as 25,708,156 (Trade Map, 2022) US$ becoming the highest sector contributes to the GDP with 18.34% (Statista, 2022).
Although economically, manufacturing industry are nine times more valuable than tourism the decision to put aside industry is driven by the attempt to sustain national commitment in developing tourism not just attraction but also in bringing significant advantages for national economy. The five DPSPs are the new attraction of Indonesian tourism to bring quality tourist visits from all over the world so that various international standard events are able to be held there, such as sports tourism events, MICE events, and music and creative events. This idea has been supported by the infrastructure development in the five DPSPs focuses on developing supporting roads, ports and airports, pioneering tourism destinations, developing tourist villages, building tourist area amenities, and development within regions and regions. This includes the development of tourism products, the improvement of the creative economy ecosystem, to the preparation of human resources in each location. Based on the 2022-2024 RPJMN, in 2024 the tourism sector is predicted to bring in as many as 9.5-14.3 million foreign tourists and 1,250-1.5 billion tourist trips. (Kemenkeu)
In conclusion, the policy of Idul Adha holiday extension might seems careless at first, especially if we take into account the national economy’s growth indicators. However, such decision is taken under an umbrella of long-term framework, especially in triggering the development of tourist attractions both as the vital sectors for national and regional economy. Moreover, this step is also expected can create a doorgate in decreasing dependency on industrial sectors towards a more local-based economy.
References
Detiknews. Jokowi Ungkap alasan libur idul adha Ditambah Jadi 3 hari. Detiknews on 21 June 2023. Retrieved from https://news.detik.com/berita/d-6784217/jokowi-ungkap-alasanlibur-idul-adha-ditambah-jadi-3-hari on 5 July 2023.
Firman, A., Moslehpour, M., Qiu, R., Lin, P. K., Ismail, T., & Rahman, F. F. (2023). The impact of eco-innovation, ecotourism policy and social media on sustainable tourism development: evidence from the tourism sector of Indonesia. Economic ResearchEkonomska Istraživanja, 36(2), 2143847.
Kemenkeu. Kian Melesat di 2023, Pariwisata Indonesia bersiap menuju level prapandemi. Media Kemenkeu on 16 May 2023. Retrieved from .https://mediakeuangan.kemenkeu.go.id/article/show/kian-melesat-di-2023-pariwisataindonesia-bersiap-menuju-level-prapandemi on 5 July 2023.
Statista. Indonesia: GDP share by sector 2022. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1019099/indonesia-gdp-contribution-by-industry/ on 5 July 2023.
Trade Map. List of products at 2 digits level imported by Indonesia in 2022. Trade Map. Retrieved from https://www.trademap.org/Product_SelProductCountry.aspx?nvpm=1%7C360%7C%7C %7C%7CTOTAL%7C%7C%7C2%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C1%7C 1 on 5 July 2023.