Matias Benoni Mano, the Head of the Jayapura City Tourism Office, stated that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play an essential role in the growth of the tourism sector's economy. MSMEs' contribution to the culinary sector in Jayapura City in 2022 reached 121%, exceeding the target of 100%, based on the data from the Jayapura Revenue Agency. He emphasized the importance of developing MSMEs to enhance their product quality and diversity, particularly for the culinary industry, a basic need for everyone. Mano also noted that fashion and craftworks contributed to the tourism sector, albeit not as significantly as the culinary sector. However, fashion and craftworks are still necessary, particularly for souvenirs. He hopes that the community will continue to develop their creativity to create new economic sources, such as MSMEs selling traditional food and beverages that can be transformed into unique products.
He also underlined the need for collaboration among various sub-sectors to develop the creative economy of tourism in Jayapura City. In conclusion, Jayapura City, being a city of services and trade, aims to develop its creative economy and continues to optimize its potential resources in natural resources, historical, religious, cultural, and coastal tourism.
