Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno is optimistic of dispatching 250 thousand homecoming travelers in 2018, through a joint homecoming program, as it has sent a total of 118,220 travelers in 2017.
"Hopefully, the number of homecoming travelers to depart would rise next year," she said after seeing off a joint homecoming activity facilitated by 28 state-owned companies in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in Jakarta on Monday.
Soemarno elaborated on several ways to meet the expectation, first of which is working to provide additional modes of ground transportation, especially by increasing the number of rail carriages.
"In 2017, several homecoming travelers are keen to use trains, but the number of carriages are not enough," she pointed out.
Secondly, the minister expected more state-owned companies to participate in supporting the joint homecoming program. For 2017, a total of 28 state-owned enterprises participated in dispatching 118,220 homecoming travelers by using their corporate social responsibility funds to provide land, sea, and air transportation modes.
The homecoming travelers were dispatched to 84 destinations across Indonesia by using 1,920 buses, trains, ships provided by PT Pelni, and aircraft.
Thirdly, she also opened up the opportunity to cooperate with private parties in facilitating the homecoming program.
"Thus, more people can be dispatched through the joint homecoming program," she stated.
President Director of PT Jasa Raharja Budi Setyarso, who was also coordinator for the 2017 Joint Homecoming, said his party will streamline the online homecoming registration system in order to make it more sophisticated and easier for the community to use it.
"The registration time range will be longer," he stated. (*)
