What does Indonesia's tourism need? A viewpoint from stakeholders on occupational needs

The importance of tourism in enhancing economic welfare has been recognized in many developing countries. The revenue generated from tourist arrival is beneficial in improving the quality of life and living standard of the local community. Tourism also contributes to a job creation, foreign exchange earnings, and cultural and social exchanges (Chaisawat, 2005; Chon & Maier, 2010; Dredge et al., 2012; Howell & Uysal, 1987). Indonesia Statistics Bureau (n.d.) and World Tourism Organization (2014) indicated that the number of tourist arrivals to Indonesia has been increasing in the last nine years. The ranking of Indonesia according to Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report was also improving from rank 74 in 2011 to 70 in 2013 (World Economic Forum, 2013). Based on the report, Indonesia excelled in the natural resources (ranked 6). Indonesia is on the top position in this category among the other ASEAN countries. However, the rank was relatively low in human resources category with the score 61 (77 for qualified labour availability and 57 for education and training). In comparison with its neighboring countries (Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand), Indonesia's tourism competitiveness is still far behind. Those three countries ranked 10, 34, and 43 respectively. The capability of tourism labour has put Singapore as the world's top ten (World Economic Forum, 2013). Thus, it can be presumed that manpower plays significant roles in the development of tourism in a country or region. Indubitably Indonesia needs to pay attention for human resources development to ensure a long-term tourism sustainability (Andriani, 2014; Hernasari, 2014)