CTS awards for hotels launched

CTS awards for hotels launched

YOGYAKARTA: In cooperation with other stakeholders in the
community, Gadjah Mada University's Center for Tourism Studies
(CTS) launched here recently the "Friend of the Community" (FoC)
label for hotels and other hospitality outlets.

The launch was marked by the presentation of FoC certificates
to the chairman of the Yogyakarta branch of the Indonesian Hotels
and Restaurants Association (PHRI), Stefanus Indarto, and
the chairman of the Jogja and Central Java Hotel Association
(JCJHA), Xavier Cappelut.

The presentations took place during the 2nd National Gathering
on Poverty Eradication Through Tourism held at Grand Mercure
Hotel.

"What we are doing actually is just showing our appreciation
for what the hotels have been doing for a long time now, and
converting it into something meaningful economically," CTS Director
Hendrie Adji Kusworo told journalists after presenting the FoC
certificates to both associations.

The obtaining of an FoC certificate shows that a hotel is
"socially friendly to the community", which in turn will allow
the hotel to develop a new brand image that can be further
developed into one of the hotel's competitive advantages.

"There has been a shift in demand among global tourists, who
are not just looking for physical but also social satisfaction in
a tourist destination," Adji said.

Such demand, according to Adji, had inspired the tourism
business community to revitalize their products by, among other
things, developing brand image. A developing of a "green hotel"
brand image was an example of such an effort bearing fruit. --JP