In order to increase academic value in the tourism sector in Indonesia, Undergraduate Tourism Study Programs at universities throughout Indonesia took the initiative to form a consortium. Also present were the Heads of Study Programs and representatives from all universities, including Brawijaya University (UB), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Udayana University, Pancasila University, Indonesian Education University (UPI), Ciputra University, and the College of Tourism. This formation is the result of an agreement made in Jogjakarta last July.
As Chair of the Tourism Study Program, Dr. Sunarti, M.AB said the activity to form a consortium was a manifestation of a forum in accordance with what was carried out by academics.
"We have gained a lot of knowledge from the Indonesian Tourism Higher Education Association or Hildiktipari. The obstacle is that academic content has not been channeled to Hildiktipari," he explained. The meeting to form the consortium which was held from Monday to Tuesday (13-14/8/2018) at the UB Guest House will focus on tourism academics.
Furthermore, the Dean of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences (FIA) UB, Prof. Dr. Bambang Supriyono, MS, appreciated the establishment of a consortium for the Undergraduate Tourism Study Program. At FIA UB, the Tourism Study Program is under the auspices of the Department of Business Administration.
"Learning outputs are oriented to a business perspective. There are several contents in the UB Tourism Study Program, including business policies, government cooperation, and of course tourism aspects," said Prof. Bambang. In Malang, he added, the tourism aspect is very good. This is one of UB's factors in developing the Tourism Study Program which was established six years ago at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya.
Prof. Bambang also advised that the meeting to form this consortium could make tourism a useful science for all.
