Environmental tourism sought

JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI) is inviting the Agency for Environment Control (Bappedal) to cooperate in the environmentally-friendly tourism industry.

PHRI's chairman, Pontjo Sutowo, said here yesterday that the two parties should sign agreements based on three strategic areas: the development of environmentally-friendly tourism, human resources and the impact of environmental policies on the tourism sector.

During the sixth Five Year Development Plan (Repelita VI), the rate of tourists arriving in Indonesia is estimated to grow by 12.5 percent per year. The government expects some six million tourists will visit the country in the last year of the plan.

Pontjo told the participants of an environmental tourism industry seminar, at the Daiichi hotel, that in attracting tourists and promoting Indonesia, the industry must improve the quality of its products.

"Besides, we should also prepare better environmentally friendly infrastructures because we face competition from other countries which have already paid attention to the protection of the environment," he said.

According to Pontjo, countries which succeed in setting environmental regulations and enhance eco-efficiency will be the winners in the global competition.(icn)