Cooperatives to Open Financing Access for Tourism Village Managers, Says Minister

Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono has stated that strengthening the institutional capacity of Tourism Awareness Groups (Pokdarwis) through cooperatives will open up access to financing and various business supports for tourism village managers, thereby boosting the sector’s competitiveness. Ferry explained that tourism business activities, which have been managed informally by Pokdarwis, will gain a formal business entity through cooperatives, making them more structured, accountable, and competitive. “With this, cooperatives will have easier access to financing, human resource capacity building, institutional and business mentoring, as well as facilitation of tourism facilities and infrastructure from the government,” Ferry said in a press statement in Jakarta on Monday. As part of this effort, the Ministry of Cooperatives launched the Integration and Transformation of Pokdarwis programme through cooperatives at Pendopo Pantai Tanjung Kelayang, Belitung, on Sunday (5/7). Through the programme, tourism business activities previously managed by Pokdarwis will be consolidated into cooperative business entities, granting them legality, better governance, and access to financing and government programmes. Ferry added that this institutional strengthening is also expected to become a new instrument for developing the tourism sector while ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism activities are directly felt by the community. He said the Ministry of Cooperatives will continue to provide mentoring and guidance so that the newly formed cooperatives can develop optimally. He noted that the cooperative business activities can also be collaborated with the Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDKMP). As an initial step, the government has designated Belitung Regency as one of the pilot areas for the Pokdarwis integration and transformation programme through cooperatives. The event also featured a declaration of the integration and transformation of Pokdarwis into cooperatives, marked by the signing of a joint commitment between the Head of Pokdarwis, the Head of KDKMP, and relevant agencies in Belitung Regency. On the same occasion, Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana stated that the integration of Pokdarwis with cooperatives will be implemented in eight tourism villages as pilot projects, including in Belitung Regency. According to her, Pokdarwis has been at the forefront of village tourism development but has lacked legality as a business entity. Therefore, cooperatives are expected to strengthen the community’s role in managing tourism potential while increasing business capacity in villages. “We want to build a tourism ecosystem that is not only attractive to visit but also increases community income,” Widiyanti said. Belitung Regent Djoni Alamsyah Hidayat said the local government supports the development of cooperatives as drivers of the community’s economy. According to him, strengthening cooperative institutions in the tourism sector is expected to increase investor confidence while reinforcing Belitung’s position as a premier tourist destination.