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Regional Investment Forum discusses investment opportunities in tourism industry
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Regional Investment Forum (RIF) is currently being held in Padang, West Sumatra, until Oct. 17. (Shutterstock/File)
Regional Investment Forum (RIF) is currently being held in Padang, West Sumatra, until Oct. 17.
Among the attendants are West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno, Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong and Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.
During his opening remark, Irwan said the event is a huge opportunity to lay out and provide information about investment opportunities in West Sumatra, especially in the tourism sector.
“Padang is ready for investors; we are ready to facilitate and provide security for them. We understand that safety is one of the important factors in investment,” told Irwan.
West Sumatra is promoting Mandeh and Gunung Padang in the event.
According to Thomas, RIF was previously held in Manado and the event has become an important occasion due to the increasing rate of tourism investment.
“Tourism index has jumped up incredibly; the investment is also increasing even though it’s still considered small,” said Thomas.
Read also: Exploring Bogor Botanical Garden now easier thanks to mobile app
Indonesia, alongside 70 other countries, adopts the One Belt One Road concept for infrastructure improvement, supporting connectivity and economy integration.
Thomas added that several countries in the Asia Pacific region such as India and China are currently developing and improving their economy, which in turn affects the digital lifestyle development.
Meanwhile, speaking in front of 114 foreign investors and district heads, Arief spoke about how important it is for regions to choose tourism for development.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has announced tourism as one of the national economy’s leading sectors and for 2018 tourism is listed as the second leading sector, right under agriculture and above fisheries.
The tourism growth rate in Indonesia is at 25 percent, four times the regional growth and five times bigger than the other neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Indonesia is also included in the top 20 of The Fastest Growing Travel Destination in the World 2017 list.
Recently, Wonderful Indonesia tourism video has won awards at the UNWTO (United Nation World Tourism Organization) Award-Tourism Video Competition. Indonesia was also named the destination of the year, winning over Thailand, at a recent award ceremony. (kes)
