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Govt earmarks additional Rp 15 trillion for five priority-tourism destination developments
The government will disburse an additional budget of Rp 15 trillion (US$963 million) to develop five priority-tourism destinations in the next two years.
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Tourists enjoy a sunny day on Lihaga Island in West Likupang, North Minahasa, North Sulawesi. (JP/Riza Roidila Mufti)
The government will disburse an additional budget of Rp 15 trillion (US$963 million) to develop five priority-tourism destinations in the next two years.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said that with additional budget, the government aimed to complete development in tourism-destinations Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara and Likupang in North Sulawesi.
“With this additional fund, we expect that the development [at the five destinations] will be completed in the next two years,” Sandiaga said at a national coordination meeting in Toba, North Sumatra, on Wednesday.
The meeting was also attended by Coordinating Maritime and Investment Affairs Minister Luhut Panjaitan, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas and National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa.
The tourism development is part of the minister’s pledge to focus on reviving the pandemic-stricken tourism industry. Sandiaga has been developing the nation’s five “super-priority” tourist destinations – sometimes called the “five new Balis” – at the behest of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The Tourism Ministry has targeted 1.2-1.4 million domestic tourist visits in 2023 by planning more tourism events.
“The tourism creative economy will create 4.4 million jobs,” he said.
Minister Luhut predicted that tourism activities will increase as the Indonesian economy is expected to grow by more than 5 percent next year.
“Tourism-performance increase is supported by domestic tourism with growing accommodations and food-beverage [businesses],” Luhut said.
Meanwhile, Minister Abdullah said that the government will push alternative efforts to push tourism, including optimizing national holidays that fall on weekends.
“[We] can suggest additional collective leaves before or after the national holidays or during hari kejepit,” he said, referring to days that fall between a weekend and a public holiday. (dre)
