Geliat perjalanan insentif mulai terasa seiring melandainya kasus COVID-19. Diperkirakan pada awal tahun depan, perjalanan insentif mulai ramai diselenggarakan.
Pembatasan kerumunan, aturan karantina mandiri akibat pandemi COVID-19 membuat industri MICE layu. Perjalanan insentif yang biasanya rutin diadakan setiap tahun oleh banyak perusahaan, harus ditiadakan karena ancaman kesehatan.
Untungnya, Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat (PPKM) dan vaksinasi COVID-19 mulai menunjukkan hasilnya. Kasus COVID-19 mulai melandai, dan beberapa perjalanan insentif dengan mengikuti protokol kesehatan mulai diselenggarakan.
Seperti dialami biro perjalanan insentif Panorama, Sany Barley, Account Director PT Panorama JTB mengatakan, jumlah permintaan perjalanan insentif masih naik turun. “Namun di semester kedua mulai kelihatan naik,†ujarnya dalam program Podcast yang tayang di kanal YouTube MICE Indonesia.
Ia berharap pada November nanti sudah mulai ada keberangkatan perjalanan insentif. Prediksinya pula mulai Januari 2022 kondisi sudah jauh membaik.
Sebenarnya, keinginan melakukan perjalanan insentif sudah tidak tertahankan. Apalagi pandemi yang hampir dua tahun berjalan tentu menyebabkan kejenuhan dan kelelahan di banyak perusahaan. Namun dengan alasan kesehatan dan keamanan, banyak perusahaan masih tarik ulur untuk mengadakan perjalanan insentif.
Untuk perjalanan insentif inbound atau dari luar negeri ke Indonesia memang belum ada. Karena sejumlah negara masih melarang warganya masuk ke Indonesia. Namun untuk outbound, sudah mulai berlangsung, mengingat beberapa negara sudah mulai menerima turis asing.
“Hanya saja situasi masih cepat berubah. Sekarang dibuka, tiba-tiba bisa ditutup kembali,†ujar Sany. Karenanya diprediksi destinasi domestik untuk perjalanan insentif akan lebih booming pasca pandemi. Tinggal bagaimana penyelenggara atau biro perjalanan pandai-pandai mengemas kegiatan. Toh, destinasi dalam negeri tak kalah menarik dibanding luar negeri.
Pemerintah daerah pun sebenarnya sudah siap menerima kunjungan turis. Namun peraturan Pemerintah pusat soal PPKM tentu tak boleh dilanggar. “Destinasi domestik tinggal menunggu gong dari pemerintah,†imbuh Sany.
Sambil menunggu situasi semakin membaik, mari mulai merencanakan perjalanan insentif. Mulai dari pilihan destinasi yang konsisten menjalankan protokol kesehatan, sampai memikirkan konsep atau program kegiatan yang unik dan berkesan.
English
The Return of Incentive Trips
Incentive trips have started to reappear following the declining number of COVID cases. It’s estimated to assume a more frequent occurrence next year.
Prohibition of large gatherings and self-quarantine policies due to the pandemic have made the MICE industry suffer. Incentive trips that are usually organized every year by numerous corporations had to be put on hold due to potential health risks.
Luckily, Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM) and COVID-19 vaccinations have proven to be fruitful. The number of COVID cases has gradually decreased, resulting in several incentive trip programs that are still required to follow stringent health protocols.
This is what happens at incentive trip agency Panorama, as told by account director of PT Panorama JTB Sany Barley. The demands for incentive trips still fluctuate. “But it’s projected to increase in the second semester,†said him in our podcast on MICE Indonesia’s YouTube channel.
He hopes that there will be some incentive trip departures starting in November. And he predicts that the situation will be much better in January 2022.
In fact, the urge to do incentive trips is irresistable. The pandemic, which has lasted for almost two years, has caused massive boredom and fatigue in various companies. But due to health and safety reasons, these companies are still undecided about organizing the trips again.
There are still no inbound incentive trips since several countries still prohibit their citizens from entering Indonesia. But outbound trips have started to take place, considering various countries have started to receive international tourists.
“The thing is, the situation is still temporary. It’s okay now (to travel to other countries), but they might suddenly close (international trips) again,†said Sany. That’s why domestic incentive trips are predicted to become more popular than international ones after the pandemic, which only leaves the success of the trip to organizers or travel agencies.
Local governments are actually ready to welcome tourists. However, they must observe the PPKM policies from the central government at all times. “Domestic destinations are waiting for the green light from the government,†added Sany.
While waiting for the situation to improve, let’s start planning our incentive trips. Plan some destinations (which need to be selected based on their compliance to the health protocols) and draft some concepts that are unique and memorable.
