The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) is on a revitalization path for the tourism sector, targeting 14 million international tourist arrivals (wisman) in 2024, up from the 11 million recorded this year. Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, expressed optimism about the recovery of the tourism sector to pre-pandemic levels by 2025. Despite the positive outlook, Minister Sandiaga acknowledged that the 2024 target falls short of the pre-pandemic achievement of 16.11 million foreign tourist visits. Earlier, Minister Sandiaga highlighted the high optimism in the tourism sector, supported by Indonesia's tourism foreign exchange reaching USD 10.46 billion, equivalent to approximately IDR 160.86 trillion (at the exchange rate of IDR 15,376.61 per USD). He noted that the contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at 3.83% in the third quarter of 2023.
Looking ahead to 2024, Sandiaga expressed confidence in the tourism sector's improvement, although it might not reach pre-pandemic levels. He emphasized the industry's need to stay prepared for various upcoming challenges, particularly in the face of the global economic situation, which significantly influences foreign tourist arrivals. While acknowledging the challenges related to global economic conditions and their impact on international travel, Sandiaga stressed that Indonesia's national economic growth is projected to remain robust in 2024, reaching 5%, according to estimates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). To achieve the 2024 tourism target, Sandiaga emphasized the need to enhance flight accessibility to Indonesia, especially from countries contributing significantly to tourist visits. Bali remains a key attraction, and the government plans to offer various other popular destinations to attract foreign tourists. Bali Beyond, encompassing five super-priority tourism destinations—Danau Toba, Borobudur, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, and Likupang—will be promoted to diversify tourist options. 'Bali Beyond' program and the promotion of the five super-priority destinations as new attractions for foreign tourists. The government aims to ensure adequate flight seats, with current connectivity supporting around 11 million seats for tourists. Efforts are underway to provide sufficient airline seats to support the 14 million foreign tourist target.
