JAKARTA, NOV 24 – Indonesia is working to increase the contribution of its tourism sector to support the national economy, according to Minister of National Development Planning Rachmat Pambudy, Indonesian news agency reported. BETWEEN.
“We know that tourists have a significant multiplier effect on the Indonesian economy. Both international and domestic tourists can be trusted as a buffer to our economic growth,” he said at the Core Economic Survey 2025 in Jakarta, yesterday.
“Since this sector is indeed the main buffer for our economy, we must pay serious attention to it,” added Pambudy.
By the third quarter of 2024, Indonesia will receive 10.7 million foreign tourists, with an average spend of US$1,375.08 per visit.
For domestic tourism, as of September 2024, a total of 757.96 million trips were recorded.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, at the Ministry of National Development Planning Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, emphasized the relatively low foreign exchange income from foreign tourists visiting Indonesia, compared to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
For example, he said Indonesia’s foreign exchange revenue from tourism is US$17 billion a year, while Thailand generates US$64.3 billion annually.
Citing other comparisons, he said that the average expenditure per arrival in Australia was US$5,100, in Thailand it was US$1,610, and in Singapore it was US$1,060, while Indonesia’s average was only US$1,050.
“Therefore, by 2029, we aim for tourism to contribute US$32 billion to US$39 billion in the country’s foreign exchange, with 29 million people working in the sector, contributing 5 percent to GDP and a 14.4 percent increase in community welfare,” he explained.
In the next five years, the ministry aims to increase the average spending of foreign tourists to US$1,600 per visit, increase investment in tourism to Rp88.7 trillion and generate contributions of Rp49.1 trillion from 13 Major Tourism Destinations. – Named