“We have begun opening several destinations in Banyuwangi. It is still limited, including hotels,” he said in a virtual discussion with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Sunday as reported by kompas.com.

He added the COVID-19 pandemic had hit local tourism hard, so in a bid to breathe life into the industry, the administration would reopen the destinations under strict health protocols.

“In the past, we promoted prices as a selling point, but we can no longer do that now. Health must be our number one [concern].”

He also explained that hotels and restaurants in Banyuwangi would be required to obtain and renew city administration health licenses weekly to ensure health protocols were being enforced properly. Travelers will be able to see which hotels and restaurants had an updated health certification through certain apps.

“The city administration can retract the aforementioned licenses after one week if a violation is found,” he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

The regent said he would require tour guides to take a health protocol competency test.

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