Indonesia undergoes infrastructure facelift; targets high-end travellers

Wishnutama: sharper focus on quality instead of quantity in tourism sector

Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE) is focusing on attracting high-end travellers by targeting business events and special interest tourists such as sports tourism, ecotourism and cruise tourism.

The government will also work to create and attract international quality events such as musical performances in the country.

Wishnutama: sharper focus on quality instead of quantity in tourism sector

Wishnutama Kusubandio, Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy and head of Tourism and Creative Economy Board, said: “Indonesia’s tourism industry is undertaking a transformation from quantity to quality. We will no longer focus on the number of travellers but on the revenue generated by tourists.”

Based on president Joko Widodo’s direction, each of the five super priority destinations – Lake Toba (North Sumatera), Labuan Bajo (East Nusa Tenggara), Borobudur (Central Java), Mandalika (Lombok) and Likupang (North Sulawesi) – are being developed to cater for different market segments, like super-premium, premium, middle and budget.

“The president’s direction for Labuan Bajo, for example, is to develop it into a super premium destination,” Wishnutama said.

Apart from developing the infrastructure, the MoTCE will start promoting the super-priority destinations creatively.

“I want the five destinations to have quality events on an international scale, with (an element) of creativity that involves the local community, so as to uplift the image of the destinations and (boost) Indonesia’s reputation,” he added.

Now that the creative economy sector is part of his portfolio, both the tourism and creative sectors can support each others’ growth, the minister said.

“The ministry is developing the creative industries, (including cultural villages). We are also creating creative hubs at the five destinations to explore and develop each destination’s creative and economic potential,” he added.

Working with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the tourism authority will be establishing the creative hub in Pusat Waringin, Labuan Bajo, and East Nusa Tenggara, with more to follow in other destinations.

The government has targeted for arrivals to hit 17.3 million and revenue to reach US$21 billion for 2020, and by 2024, 22.3 million arrivals, and revenue of US$30 billion.

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