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| Afta Gita Muhammad a Management students of UMM (Photo : Special) |
Banda Neira is one of the islands located in Maluku. Many local and foreign tourists are competing to visit Banda Neira because of its natural beauty. Unfortunately, the access to the island's is an obstacle to enjoying it. It attracts Afta Gita Muhammad, a Management student who has just received a silver medal and favorite poster category at the National Empowerment, Innovation, Research and Art (Neira) Competition, which was held on May 24-26, 2024.
Afta said that the competition consisted of eight subthemes, including agriculture, food, environment, health, technology, culture and tourism, education, law, social, and economic. He focused on culture and technology, composing an essay titled “Gen Z Innovation as a Generation that Plays an Active Role in Achieving Golden Indonesia 2045”. He discussed the difficulty of tourist travel to Banda Neira due to unsupportive access to accommodation.
“I went to Banda Neira in one week according to the ship's schedule to go there. Since I had more time, I used the opportunity to walk around Banda Neira and mingle with the locals,” he said.
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The third-semester student said her essay focused on the role of Generation Z in promoting culture through digital media and the paradigm transformation of the tourism industry. It is because Generation Z is considered to have high levels of creativity. According to him, Generation Z can become digital natives who are able to receive and disseminate information digitally related to Indonesia's cultural diversity that has not been exposed.
“We live in an era where anything can be used as content. Moreover, the current generation has extraordinary creativity to convey information. Various innovations can be made to introduce Indonesian culture. Whether it's through photos, videos, or story content,” he said.
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In his essay, he also included some tips to facilitate accommodation to Banda Neira. He offers digital solutions that facilitate access to Banda Neira. It can be done through online booking sites and tourist destination guide applications, both for local and foreign tourists.
"As Generation Z, we must make a significant contribution to the country, including in improving the tourism sector. Thus, there will be many local and foreign tourists who will come. Therefore, MSMEs or residents around Banda Neira can also automatically get more income,” he concluded. (ri/wil/put)
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