Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Lestari Moerdijat, has urged regional governments to seize the opportunities that emerge from the Eid al-Fitr homecoming exodus tradition.
"Apart from challenges, the millions of exodus travelers who travel to regions are an opportunity that stakeholders in regions must make the most of," she said in a written statement received from the MPR here on Monday.
According to her, improvements in services for Eid exodus travelers would determine regional income during the Eid holiday. She then highlighted the records of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), which have predicted that the circulation of money during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 2024 would reach Rp157.3 trillion (around US$9.77 billion).
The circulation of money is projected to be spread across a number of sectors needed by travelers in the regions.
For this reason, Moerdijat noted, the readiness and creativity of stakeholders in anticipating those opportunities would greatly determine the income that a region earns during the Eid exodus period.
"The tourism, accommodation, transportation, and culinary sectors are those that many people access during the Eid holiday period," she added.
Therefore, she continued, easy access to public services on routes leading to tourist destinations in regions would draw tourists. Apart from that, the readiness of tourist attraction managers in regions to face a surge in visitors is also deemed essential.
"Safe and smooth travel for the Eid exodus travelers during the Eid holiday must receive attention from tourist destination managers and stakeholders in regions," she added.
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The MPR deputy speaker expressed the hope that people's activities during the Eid holiday period would support the acceleration of national economic growth amid threats of global crises.
As per a survey conducted by the Ministry of Transportation, 193.6 million people were expected to join the homecoming exodus to celebrate Eid al-Fitr this year, which fell on April 10.