TEMPO.CO, Palembang – Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, stated on Saturday that Palembang city in South Sumatra is currently being prepared as a national sports-based tourism development center.
One of the measures to achieve this has been the selection of Palembang as the host of the 2022 National Tourism Sports Week, he said.
According to the ministry, the event, which is the first to be held in Indonesia is being hosted by the Tourism Polytechnic in Palembang from November 19 to 22, 2022.
It has drawn 385 participants, including national tourism science students who will compete for the ministry’s trophy in badminton, 3×3 basketball, table tennis, futsal, E-sports, martial arts, and sports dance competition.
“Palembang is focused on bringing excellence in sports-based tourism because this is indeed its advantage, for that. In the future, the National Tourism Sports Week will still be hosted in Palembang,” he informed.
He said that his ministry has determined that sports tourism is a part of health tourism, which has the potential to create up to 2.3 million jobs.
Therefore, the younger generation and tourism actors are expected to take part in sports tourism opportunities to encourage national progress in Indonesia.
“So, the concept is not only sports that are also getting the impact of sports tourism. There are MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises), as well as industries that are involved. I think this potential needs to be seized as momentum for tourism revival amid the threat of a global recession,” the minister said.
Similar efforts are also being conducted in other places and range from the Ranau Grand Fondo event in Lubuk Linggau, South Sumatra, to the MXGP and World Superbike events in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, which will be hosted continuously, he informed.
Before the opening of the National Tourism Sports Week at the Palembang Tourism Polytechnic, the minister took out time to play basketball against the Palembang Basketball Association team.
The minister seemed to be in good form as he competed against regional professional athletes.
While the game ended in a draw, he said that basketball, which he has been involved in since he was a teenager, offers him a certain kind of joy amidst his busy life.
“Hopefully, this first National Tourism Sports Week will be as successful as expected and can further develop in the following year’s National Tourism Sports Week,” Uno said.
He was accompanied by chief executive of the National Tourism Sports Week, Muhammad Iqbal.
ANTARA
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