Day: January 10, 2022

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno projects the MotoGP event at the Mandalika Circuit, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, on March 18-20, 2022, to boost the local economy by 20-30 percent.

“It aligns with our estimation of accommodation readiness, hosting fees, and the government’s total investment in establishing the circuit,” the minister noted during a virtual weekly press briefing here on Monday.

Uno said his side had projected the event’s spectators to reach 100 thousand, chiefly constituting domestic tourists.

As of December 2021, the number of hotels, inns, and tourist villages in Lombok Island had totalled around 23 thousand.

According to the Mataram City Hotels Association, some 90 percent of hotel rooms in the city were reserved for the event’s accommodation as of January 3, 2022.

“Mataram City has 2,758 hotel rooms,” the minister stated.

Meanwhile, the NTB provincial government has estimated that lodging occupancy in the region will reach 100 percent during the racing event.

In a bid to support implementation of the event, the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has also built homestays for attendees at the 2022 MotoGP.

Currently, 300 tourism homestays are in the Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environment Sustainability (CHSE) certification process.

Furthermore, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is also encouraging several collaborations with two domestic corporations to prepare additional lodging.

For instance, in collaboration with the domestic natural recreation equipment manufacturer Eiger, state-run Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and the local government will facilitate glamping — glamorous camping style — in the Mandalika area.

“Some 100 tents will be provided in the area. Each tent can accommodate up to four people,” Uno stated.

In addition, the government will strive to ready other amenities, such as toilets and restaurants.

The minister also expressed optimism that the racing event would be a driving force to improve the local economy through the tourism and creative economy sectors by promoting various small and medium enterprises’ products from all over Indonesia.

Showcase, pre-event, post-event, and D-Day activities will be held, he stated.

“They will be preceded by touring conducted by various communities of automotive enthusiasts from Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, and Makassar,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Minister Bintang Puspayoga on Monday visited a 15-year-old who was allegedly raped by 14 young men in Nagan Raya district, Aceh.

“My visit to Aceh is a form of concern for the tragedy experienced by the victim,” Puspayoga said in a written statement received here on Monday.

She said that she was relieved because the condition of the victim had started to improve.

However, the victim is still traumatized, and according to her mother, she often screams at night because she remembers the assault, which happened in December 2021, she added.

The minister said that she was very concerned about the assault on the victim and hoped that this case would be the last case of sexual assault in Nagan Raya district, Aceh.

According to Puspayoga, Nagan Raya district will not be able to become a child-friendly district if similar cases continue to occur in the future.

She also urged all parties to continue to assist in the recovery process of the rape victim.

She said that the victim has expressed a wish to continue her studies. The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection will help the victim to pursue her education, she affirmed.

Before visiting Nagan Raya district, Minister Puspayoga also visited Meulaboh’s class two prison in West Aceh district to meet two of the 14 alleged rapists, RJ and J, both of whom are aged around 12 years.

Earlier, the chief of Nagan Raya Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit, Adjunct Commissioner Machfud, had informed that the gang rape that occurred over two days came to light after the victim told her mother about it.

The incident reportedly occurred when she left her house to buy snacks in Simpang Peut Kuala village area, Kuala sub-district, Nagan Raya district, Aceh.

Source: Antara News

Bank Indonesia’s (BI’s) consumer survey has indicated that consumer optimism about the economy remained strong in December 2021, as mirrored by the Consumer Confidence Index (IKK) recorded at 118.3, or being relatively stable.

On a quarterly basis, the IKK during the fourth quarter of 2021 was recorded at 116.8, rising from 84.3 in the 2021 third quarter and 89.2 in the fourth quarter of 2020.

“Strong consumer optimism in December 2021 was supported by the consumers’ perception of the currently improving economic situation,” the central bank’s Chief Executive Director of Communications, Erwin Haryono, remarked here on Monday.

According to Haryono, the growth was mainly related to consumer perception of the current income and the availability of jobs.

Meanwhile, consumer expectations of future economic conditions remained in the positive grade, with the index above 100, although not as high as 118.5 recorded in November 2021.

In terms of the financial situation, the average proportion of the consumers’ income spent for consumption in December 2021 was recorded to rise slightly as compared to the previous month, from 76.1 percent to 76.2 percent, Haryono noted.

Furthermore, he noted that the installment or debt repayment ratio on an average increased in December 2021, from 9.3 to 9.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the proportion of consumer income saved reached 14.1 percent in December 2021, down from 14.6 percent in the previous month, according to Haryono.

Based on each expenditure category, the survey showed that the average portion of income being spent had mainly increased, especially among respondents with expenditures of Rp3.1 million to Rp4 million per month.

Hence, income savings decreased in most expense categories, mainly among respondents with an expenditure budget of Rp4.1 million to Rp5 million per month, Haryono added.

Source: Antara News