REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Economic observer from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) Andry Satrio Nugroho said there was no correlation or relationship between the use of certain clothing (hijab, for example) and tourism activity.
“I see that there is no correlation between the use of certain clothing and tourism activities. I think it's too far to look at both things,” Andry said on Tuesday (2/1/2024).
As is well known, Bali Senator Arya Wedakarna is in the spotlight after a viral video clip of herself alluding to the hijab worn by Muslims. The video became controversial and drew condemnation from citizens.
In the video, Arya says she doesn't want any women on the frontline wearing head coverings. He wanted the women on the front lines to have their hair exposed, because Bali is not the Middle East.
In the video, Arya says, “I don't want the frontline, the frontline, I want the Balinese girl on your boat, her hair looks open. Don't love the cover, the cover is not clear, this is not the Middle East. It's delicious Balinese, use cake flowers, use cakes,” Arya was quoted as saying by Republika.
According to Andry, as long as there is no abuse of aspects of hospitality in the tourism industry, then there is no problem there. For example, hospitality related to his service being kept under guard, he judged that it had no correlation to clothing, as long as the clothes were neat and clean.
Andry also gave a comparison between Indonesian tourism and tourism in Middle Eastern countries. Which Middle Eastern countries are in this case is still using their clothes and culture but still getting considerable animo from its tourists.
“And of course we have to look to the countries of the Middle East. We know, for example, countries like the United Arab Emirates, that I think there are still Middle Eastern clothing and cultural practices. And when compared to Indonesia yes, their tourism is quite advanced,” Andry said.
According to data from the Central Statistical Agency (BPS), the average value of spending per capita per month in all provinces in Indonesia in March 2023 increased compared to March 2022. The highest increase was in Bali at 20.72 percent (yoy).
According to BPS, the high increase in average spending per person per month in Bali is due to improving tourism conditions in the province, which was previously severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Based on the release of Bali Provincial BPS, there was a significant increase in the number of visits of foreign tourists from 14,620 tourists in March 2022 to 370,832 tourists in March 2023. The increase is nearly 25-fold in the span of the past year.
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