The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Indonesian Hotel Industry

The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Indonesian Hotel Industry The Covid-19 pandemic is a new virus outbreak that was discovered at the end of December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This virus can spread through direct contact with infected people, through the air, and also through objects that have been contaminated by this virus. Even with this virus, no vaccine has been found that can cure people infected with the Covid virus. Instead of finding a vaccine, this virus quickly spread throughout almost the entire world, and had a major impact on all human activities and events. The impact of this virus has spread to all sectors, including the tourism sector. Almost all tourism sectors such as hotels in Indonesia were forced to reduce and close their operational activities because there were no guests coming to stay at their hotels for fear of being exposed to this virus. From data sources, the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) states that, international tourist arrivals will decrease between 1% - 3% from the estimated growth of 3% 4% at the beginning of January 2020. This could mean a loss of 30-50 billion US dollars on the expenditure of foreign tourists (international tourists). According to PHRI (Indonesian Hotel & Restaurant Association), hotel losses have been estimated at IDR 21 trillion as of early April. There is also data that 1,650 hotels have closed due to the impact of the Corona Virus. This also has an impact on hotel employees who end up having to take a day off. There are even hotels that have laid off their employees. In this case, of course it is necessary to hold discussions between parties involved in the hotel industry, so that they can both find solutions so that the hotel industry does not collapse, according to the Manager of Jababeka Group Hospitality & Leisure Property, Mr. Rully Lasahido, said that in conditions like today, the industry Hotels must continue to maintain and comply with the protocols recommended by the government. Prepare financial aspects, psychological impacts, and management team responses when facing a crisis. Hotels must also have SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) reserve funds for current use. In this case, the government must also provide assistance (funding) to hotels that are still operating. The hotel must also pay attention to the protocols provided by the government, such as paying attention to the health of each employee, cleaning all rooms in the hotel area with disinfectant liquid, and checking the temperature of guests checking in. The hotel must also minimize layoffs for its employees. PHRI must also be able to fight for the fate of its members so that they can survive and become a solution in facing this pandemic. There is a better reality if the hotel industry in Indonesia can find a way out of this problem, for example, like Madrid, Spain, a four-star hotel there was converted into a medical facility to treat Covid-19 patients, the place was prepared to become a medical facility for patients with mild Covid-19 infections. 19, this action can ease the burden on hospitals in Madrid in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Another example that can be taken is that the DKI Provincial Government has prepared accommodation facilities for medical personnel in hotels managed and owned by BUMD DKI Jakarta. So the Indonesian Hotel Industry can find a way out of this problem, by facilitating the capacity needed by medical personnel.