VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The coronavirus pandemic has severely affected the tourism industry in Raja Ampat District in the Indonesian province of West Papua, said head of the Indonesian Tourist Guides Association (PHI), Raja Ampat chapter, Ranny Iriani Tumundo. The current COVID-19 outbreak has kept tourists away from Raja Ampat, with no arrivals recorded so far. As a result, 184 tourist guides have lost their jobs since March this year, Tumundo told journalists on Wednesday. Tourist guides were making a living by offering their services to visiting travelers. But, the COVID-19 outbreak has put a halt to tourist inflows, partly owing to the enforcement of travel restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic, Tumundo noted. The out-of-job tourist guides are members of PHI, and 80 percent of them are married with children. To feed their families, many of them have tried to find new jobs, but they are not easy to come by amid the ongoing health crisis, he pointed out. 

"We all pray for God's mercy. May this storm vanish soon so that our tourism industry can run again. For all members of PHI, please stay healthy, and follow the COVID-19 preventive measures," he averred.

Raja Ampat is often called "Heaven on Earth", "Miracle of Papua", "Underwater Paradise on Earth", or "Real Wonder of the World" for its mesmerizing marine panoramas//ANT