The ills of the Covid-19 pandemic: a view from Indonesia’s tourism industry in the light of new criminal laws
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, most major tourist destinations were plagued by economic turmoil. The country’s new criminal code could affect the reputation of the country if foreigners aren’t interested in visiting as the swine flu is subsiding.
Officials previously said that the new code — which bans adultery, cohabitation before marriage and apostasy — would also apply to foreign residents and tourists.
Although the changes are not expected to kick in for at least another three years , industry players tell CNN that the new criminal code could put foreigners off visiting and hurt the country’s global reputation, starving it of vital tourism revenues.
Putu Winastra, the chairman of the country’s largest tourism group, the Association of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies, said that the law will be “very counterproductive” in regards to the tourism industry.
It’s safe to say that tourists in Bali will not be affected by the new laws. But for hundreds of millions of Indonesians, the reality on the ground remains worrying.
Winastra said the new laws caught him by surprise because he thought the government had been enthusiastic about increasing foreign tourist arrivals. Rules and laws will be burdens on tourists and the industry.
The Indonesian criminal code is not a test of the rule of law, but does it violate the civil liberties of the indigenous people in the tourism sector
But with the pandemic in retreat, government and tourism industry officials had been forecasting a healthy revival, potentially bringing in billions of dollars of revenue for the Indonesian economy.
The World Travel & Tourism Council predicted earlier this year that Indonesia’s travel industry would grow by 10% over the next 10 years and that it would create more than 500,000 jobs each year.
Local guide Ken Katut told CNN Travel that he believed things were “progressing in the right direction” in the tourism industry after G20 leaders held a summit in Bali in November.
Under the new criminal code, anyone — Indonesians or foreigners — found guilty of adultery or premarital relations could face 12 months in jail. It’s unclear how these laws will be enforced.
Rights groups have noted how the laws will disproportionately affect women and members of the gay community , and added that they could “provide an avenue for selective enforcement.”
Ida Bagus Purwa Sidemen, Executive Director of the Indonesian Hotel & Restaurant Association (PHRI) said it would be hard to ask couples if they are married or not.
The government of Indonesia will review its laws, according to Sidemen. “We can’t ask every couple about their legal marriage status.” It will create huge problems for us,” he said.
The colonial-era criminal code in Indonesia was added to on Tuesday, causing global concerns about rights and privacy.
“Bali is safe and comfortable to visit; business as usual,” he said. He added that they would be looking forward to welcoming visitors with our gracious demeanor, and would not want misleading statements about the Indonesian criminal code that might disrupt tourism to be made.
His words also followed an official clarification from government spokesperson Albert Aries last week, who said that foreign investors and travelers “did not have to worry” about persecution by the laws. There’s nothing to worry about, people’s privacy is guaranteed by law, ” he said.
“The new Criminal Code has also never provided additional administrative requirements for business actors in the tourism sector to ask anyone about their marital status.”
Indonesian freedom of expression is protected by the political and media mainstream, according to Rebekah Moore, a professor at Northeastern University
Indonesia has a reputation of being a pluralistic democracy with no religious, ethnic or political conflict, according to Rebekah Moore, a professor at Northeastern University.
Many groups like activists, journalists, religious minorities and members of the queer community are still at risk and will be harmed by this new code, Moore added.
“The provisions could impact any Indonesian exercising freedom of expression,” she said. “I observed firsthand what happens when extremists (in Indonesia) are emboldened by the political and media mainstream and am deeply concerned for queer and activist friends and others.”