Jakarta - President Joko Widodo said Indonesia's tourism competitiveness has improved over the years based on the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.

During a limited meeting on improving the Indonesian Tourism Rankings at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Monday, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said there is a need to improve Indonesia's tourism ranking.

"I want to say that Indonesia's tourism competitiveness on the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index is improving from year to year," he said.

He noted that in 2015, Indonesia ranked 50th, and in 2017, its position rose to 42nd and in 2019, Indonesia's position went up once again to 40.

"Compared with our neighboring countries, for example, Singapore, which is ranked 17th, Malaysia 29th, and Thailand 31st, I think this can be our lesson going forward in improving the four sub-indexes and 14 pillars which are the benchmarks for the index of world tourism competitiveness," he said.

Jokowi emphasized that Indonesia has five competitive advantages compared to other countries, with regard to price competitiveness, policy priorities, natural attractiveness, openness and cultural attractiveness, and business visits.

"And we have shortcomings in the areas of environmental sustainability, health and hygiene, tourism infrastructure which is being continuously improved, security, and a lack of information technology readiness," he said.

He stressed that these notes must be used as a basis for working with measurable and clear targets. (ANTARA)

Jakarta - Indonesia's Health Ministry has declared 102 out of 104 specimens of suspected coronavirus patients negative, while the test for two other samples has yet to complete, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said.

"Based on the report of the Director General of Health Ministry, there are 104 specimens from across Indonesia that have been tested in the ministry's laboratory for infectious disease. Of the number, 102 are tested negative and two other are still under laboratory test," Effendy said after a coordination meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Monday.

Present at the meeting are Chief of Presidential Staff Moeldoko, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, and the Director General of Customs of the Finance Ministry Heru Pambudi.

Effendy said, the government would continue to tighten monitoring at the country's entrance gates to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"We also track the journey records of those who want to enter Indonesia, in accordance to the standard set by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. For instance, those who have in the last 14 days traveled to the epicenter of the outbreak in mainland China. We will monitor this closely," he said.

He also called on people to stay calm and avoid reckless response over any issues regarding to the spread of the virus.

The minister reiterated that Indonesia has standard reagent for testing of specimen taken from patients allegedly contracted the virus.

"The primary reagent is used in cooperation with the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) in Atlanta, the United States, so people should not have any doubt on its capability. We have adequate supply and all hospitals in the country have prepared for it," he said.

Some hospitals have prepared isolation rooms to take care of suspected coronavirus patients.

"Negative pressure isolation room will only be used for emergency patient, while other suspected coronavirus patients can use the common isolation room. We have 227 beds for negative pressure isolation rooms and that would be enough. Insya Allah (God willing) Indonesia can escape this outbreak," he said. (ANTARA)

Jakarta - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that the quality of health, education, and fulfillment of needs of Indonesians had increased as was apparent from the country’s Human Development Index (HDI), clocking 71.92 in 2019.

"Human development in Indonesia continues to progress. The 2019 Human Development Index has increased by 0.53 points, or grew by 0.74 percent, as compared to 2018," BPS Head Suhariyanto noted in Jakarta on Monday.

Suhariyanto expounded that human development achievement is measured by focusing on three essential aspects: longevity and healthy living, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.

The Human Development Index is an indicator for observing the development progress in the long term.

Speed and achievement status are the two aspects that should be taken into account to observe the progress in human development.

"In general, Indonesia's human development index (HDI) continued to progress during the period from 2010 to 2019. Indonesia's HDI increased, from 66.53 in 2010 to 71.92 in 2019," Suhariyanto stated.

During this period, Indonesia's HDI grew by an average of 0.87 percent per year and increased, from "moderate" to "high" levels, starting in 2016. During the 2018-2019 period, Indonesia's HDI grew 0.74 percent.

"In accordance with the message of President Joko Widodo, we all must work to improve the quality of our human resources. An important indicator is the Human Development Index," Suhariyanto emphasized.

Indonesia's population is projected to reach 319 million in 2045, for which the government should prepare various facilities and infrastructure as a precautionary measure against this surge, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) had earlier projected.

"We have to prepare various facilities, so that our children and grandchildren will not be distressed since the population currently stands at 267 million," Head of BPS Suhariyanto stated after leading the 2020 Population Census Ceremony at the BPS Office in Jakarta Friday.

Based on the projection, the government should prepare the plans and policies from now.

The BPS should collect the data through the 2020 Population Census to facilitate the government to make policies. The census will be held throughout Indonesia on Saturday, February 15, 2020.

The BPS can obtain a definite number of Indonesians at the national, provincial, district, sub-district, and village levels from the population census.

The data results will demonstrate the distribution of population, especially in Sumatra and Java, and that would also necessitate a staple food plan.

The BPS can also identify the composition of male and female population ratio (sex ratio). The sex ratio was deemed as vital information to build the population pyramid.

The population pyramid was also formed based on the number of people from the unproductive population aged 14 years and below; productive, aged 15 to 64 years; and aged, 65 years and above. This population pyramid would determine the national dependency ratio. (ANTARA)

Jakarta - Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has revealed that the traffic of people at 135 entrances to Indonesia is being monitored tightly to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The government also established cooperation with other countries having positive cases of COVID-19, the minister said here on Monday after attending a coordination meeting on "Evaluation and Follow Up Plan for Handling of COVID-19".

Also present in the meeting were Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, and Director General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance Heru Pambudi.

"We are working with the ministry and immigration office of Singapore, too. they give a warning of infected citizens. And Singapore is not an epicenter," he noted, adding that the World Health Organization (WHO) said the COVID-19 epicenter is only mainland China.

Currently, 78 Indonesian citizens are being quarantined on Diamond Princess cruise ship together with some 3,700 passengers and crew, in Japan waters. The ship is home to the highest number of COVID-19 cases outside China.

"We are waiting for the results of the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). If the results of the examination are negative, I will go there to check and pick them up," Terawan said. So far, the ship's 78 crew members from Indonesia are not infected by the virus.

Meanwhile, Bambang Widodo, the Director of Immigration Residence Permit at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said that since the COVID-19 outbreaks, 109 people have been denied entry into Indonesia, because they had been in China over the last several days.

Of the 109 people, 85 people were refused entry at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, 13 at Soekarno Hatta Airport in Jakarta, five at Juanda Airport in Surabaya, five at Kualanamu Airport in Medan, and one person at Batam port in Riau Islands Province.

In addition to, there were 36 foreigners whose visas were refused by the Indonesian immigration. They comprised seven Russians, one Romanian, four Brazilians, one Chinese, three Armenians, one New Zealander, two Ukrainians, three Britons, two Moroccans, six Kazakhs, two Americans, one Ghanaian, one Australian, one Canadian, and one Maldivian.

Those who were refused entry into Indonesia were returned to the last airports they departed.

Indonesia has so far remained free from coronavirus cases. (ANTARA)