Azwir Malaon
Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism Development and Creative Economy

Indonesia is endowed with a rich biodiversity that offers the country huge potential to develop a tourism industry based on an environmentally responsible program. Compared to conventional tourism, ecotourism offers extra benefits. Besides generating revenue, it is an effective medium for education and environmental conservation. Take the biodiversity park in Bangka-Belitung, developed by a group of local environmentalists. They succeeded not only in revitalizing the local economy badly affected by the collapse of the tin industry, they have also proven that through ecotourism, both local residents and tourists can be taught to conserve nature.

Azwir Malaon, deputy assistant minister for tourism at the ministry for tourism development and creative economy, said that these benefits would enable them to maximize Belitung's eco-tourism potential in the next three years, among others, by improving infrastructure and involving both the public private sectors. "Efforts to conserve nature, to improve people's welfare and to boost revenues can go hand in hand," he said. Two weeks ago, Azwir sat down for an interview with Tempo in his Jakarta office. Excerpts: