Bank BRI institutional business director Kuswiyoto said it would support the ministry to draw tourists to 21 destinations across Indonesia by providing digital banking services to ease all transactions made by visitors during their travels. 

“Our target is all tourism-related transactions using our digital banking system, from booking tickets, hotel, traveling arrangement, to buying souvenirs,” Kuswiyoto told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, adding that the partnership was drawn up in a memorandum of understanding last week. 

(Read also: BRI turns to subsidiaries for fee-based income boost)

He added that the publicly listed bank would operate 10,000 online working units, 23,000 ATMs and more than 187 thousand electronic data capture (EDC) devices to support the ministry’s goal.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya (fifth left) and Bank BRI institutional business director Kuswiyoto (sixth left) pose with staff members after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Tourism Ministry and BRI on Friday to boost inbound tourism through the use of digital banking products. (Courtesy of BRI/File)

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya acknowledged that digital banking would be more efficient in attracting a larger number of tourists than conventional transaction systems. 

“The partnership will provide easier and faster banking services through the BRI networks,” Arief said after signing the MoU. 

(Read also: New vision required to attract tourists)

Tourism has been dubbed one of five priority sectors to be developed by the government. The target for 2016 is to draw in 12 million foreign tourists, up from 10 million last year. The figure is expected to double to 20 million tourists by 2019. (dan)

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