PHRI Urges Government to Prepare for Extreme Weather During Lebaran Holiday
Jakarta (ANTARA) — The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) has called on the government to anticipate extreme weather conditions whilst tourists travel during the Lebaran holiday period.
“Collaboration during this Lebaran holiday is actually very important. First and foremost is the government’s preparedness in maintaining access, given the rather extreme weather. Even up to today, heavy rainfall is still forecast,” said PHRI Secretary-General Maulana Yusran when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Friday.
According to Yusran, the government must properly prepare its Regional Working Units (SKPD) so that disaster response can be carried out more swiftly should incidents occur in any given area.
The government was also urged to monitor areas prone to landslides or flooding, in order to keep road access safe for tourists during their journeys.
He emphasised that collaboration between the government and various relevant stakeholders is crucial in preparing all such efforts.
“How the government and regional governments in particular — those who are relevant — because they also receive quite significant contributions when there is a surge at their destinations. They will also collaborate with business operators such as hotels, restaurants, and those at tourism destinations,” Yusran said.
He considered that such collaboration would help find solutions to address surges in guest numbers, comfort and safety issues, including resolving the problem of illegal parking at tourist destinations.
Furthermore, Yusran assessed that joint collaboration would accelerate the easing of vehicle congestion. Moreover, each region has its own traffic congestion characteristics during certain major holidays, meaning collaboration must also involve police authorities.
“There are areas that are always targeted by tourists for their holidays. They should already be prepared for collaboration between the government, the police, and tourism operators to arrange anticipatory measures to create comfort and safety at those destinations — that is the most important thing,” Yusran said.