Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) aims to increase international arrivals into the country to catch up with the achievements of its Southeast Asian neighbors.
While the latest Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) shows that Indonesia has moved up 10 ranks (from 32nd to 22nd), the country still lags behind Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Vietnam.
According to Jokowi, who recently spoke at the launch of the digitalization of event licensing services, he said Indonesia has many attractions. However, he believes that the best way to attract more crowds is to organize international events, such as concerts, professional events, summits and sporting events.
Meanwhile, the tourism budget of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE) is set at just 3.3 trillion rupiah ($236 million) this year with a target of 14.3 million arrivals.
Its minister Sandiaga Uno remains optimistic about growth in arrivals and said that if connectivity is expanded, the target of 14.3 million arrivals or even more is possible.
“Indonesia remains the top destination for travelers, with Bali as the main attraction. We need to improve connectivity,” he said, adding that he had discussed with the Transport Minister to launch more flights from India, Australia and Russia; increase services from Dubai, Doha and Istanbul, as well as from North Asia, particularly from Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong.
To cope with the limited budget, the ministry is stepping up communications with business partners and expanding co-branding cooperation with the private sector to promote Indonesia as a destination.
On the other hand, Nia Niscaya, senior advisor and expert at MoTCE, observed the weakening of the Indonesian rupiah against the US dollar as an opportunity to attract more international arrivals.
“Indonesia offers a variety of attractions with different segments – what we can currently offer to foreign tourists is affordable luxury,” she said.
Ketut Ardana, General Manager of Bali Sunshine Tour, said XXL Asia that the ministry could maximise its promotions through the country’s international travel markets, such as the Bali and Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF).
He explained: “With a modest promotion budget, rather than spending huge amounts of money on international events like ITB Berlin and WTM, it is better (for MoTCE) to leverage events like BBTF to become its international promotion platform by inviting more buyers and allowing more Indonesian sellers to participate.”