STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS FOR HYGIENE, HEALTH, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE TOURISM SECTOR DURING THE HANDLING OF THE 2019 CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the tourism sector to be significantly affected, both in the form of a decline in global tourist arrivals, and local domestic visitors at tourist attractions. This then prompted the government to establish an industrial strategy to support the sustainability of the tourism sector during the pandemic. On 26 October 2020, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (“Kemenparekraf”) issued Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Regulation Number 13 of 2020 concerning Standards and Certification of Hygiene, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability of the Tourism Sector During the Handling of the 2019 Corona Virus Disease Pandemic (“Permenparekraf 13/2020”).

The main policy of Permenparekraf 13/2020 is the Certification of Hygiene, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability (“Certification”), which is the process of granting certificates to Tourism Businesses, Tourism Destinations, and other Tourism products to provide guarantees to tourists for the implementation of Hygiene, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability in accordance with existing Health protocols and guidelines in the context of preventing and controlling the Corona Virus Disease 2019.

The certification is available to (i) tourism businesses; (ii) tourism destinations; and (iii) other tourism products, which must fulfil the (i) dimensional standards (cleanliness, health, safety, environmental sustainability); (ii) standard criteria (management/ governance; readiness of human resources; participation of visitors/guests/users/other parties); and (iii) standard indicators as provided in detail in Attachment I of Permenparekraf 13/2020.

The stages of the certification are:3

1. Self-Assessment, which can be conducted by the owner/manager of Tourism Businesses, Tourism Destinations, and other Tourism products prior to the implementation of the assessment for Certification;4
2. Self-Declaration, which in the form of (i) a statement that the results of self-assessment are true in accordance with the existing conditions; (ii) a statement that it has complied with the Criteria and Indicators for the implementation of Hygiene, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability in the Tourism Sector; (iii) a statement of willingness to participate in the Hygiene, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability assessment process towards Certification; and (iv) a statement of willingness to continue to improve the quality of Hygiene, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability;
3. Application for Certification, which can be submitted by the owner/manager of Tourism Businesses, Tourism Destinations, and other Tourism products by attaching documents resulting from the self-assessment and self- declaration;
4. Audit/assessment, conducted by the Certification Institution on the fulfillment of the basic requirements; and compliance with the implementation of standards;
5. Decision on the Issuance of Certificate, which are given to Tourism Businesses that have fulfilled 85.00% (eighty five percent) to 100.00% (one hundred percent) of the Criteria and Indicators for the implementation of Hygiene, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability; and
6. The Award of the certificates.

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy will then issue a ‘I do Care’ label to the Tourism Businesses, Tourism Destinations, and other Tourism Products that have obtained the Certification.9 Tourism Businesses, Tourism Destinations, and other Tourism Products that receive the ‘I do Care’ logo may use each of their products and services for tourism promotion purposes with the shape, color, and dimensions of the ‘I do Care’ logo that have been determined by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.

In conclusion, Permenparekraf 13/2020 has regulated the procedures, requirements, and supervisory mechanisms for the granting of Certification to businesses, destinations, and tourism products, which also regulates the details of the procedures that must be conducted by tourism businesses, such as the obligation to check body temperature, the obligation to provide information about Covid-19 test results and the obligation to provide previous travel history. Ultimately, the implementation of this regulation for more than 1 (one) year has supported the tourism sector to gradually improve. KBA/FDH/HES