Indonesia’s coordinating minister for economic affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has called for stronger collaboration and clearer strategies to advance the country’s tourism sector.
Speaking at the opening of the Wonderful Indonesia Tourism Fair (WITF) 2025 and the Southeast Asia Business Events Forum (SEABEF) on October 10, Airlangga said: “We are at a point where we face many challenges, such as the standardisation of innovation; and we also face various issues, including access to finance, intellectual property, digitalisation, and labour quality.”
He added that forums like SEABEF provide a space to explore strategic and concrete solutions.
Airlangga reaffirmed tourism’s role as a pillar of the national economy, contributing four per cent to GDP in 2024, up from 3.9 per cent the previous year. The government is targeting 14 million to 16 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, with 10.04 million recorded as of August – a 10.4 per cent year-on-year rise. Domestic travel reached 807.6 million trips, up nearly 20 per cent from 2024.
He outlined government initiatives to sustain growth, including infrastructure development – 36 international airports now support connectivity—along with regulatory strengthening and workforce development. The Indonesia Quality Tourism Fund is being set up to support long-term sustainability, while VAT incentives for flight tickets and revised tourism regulations aim to foster globally competitive and sustainable practices.
Highlighting the potential of the MICE industry, Airlangga said the Asia-Pacific market is projected to expand by about 50 per cent to more than US$328 billion by 2030.
“To maximise this potential, we need to develop the right strategy through strong collaboration so that the sector not only grows stronger but also more sustainable,” he said.
Tourism minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana described WITF and SEABEF as milestones for tourism growth and job creation. She cited another ministry-supported programme, Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN), as an example of how events can drive arrivals, noting that total visitor numbers in 2025 reached 10.8 million, generating 11.82 trillion rupiah (US$715 million).
WITF 2025 featured 300 exhibitors and 200 international buyers from 40 countries. The Ministry of Tourism also hosted a familiarisation trip for 45 travel agents from Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas, alongside the Wonderful Indonesia Wellness 2025 showcase promoting wellness tourism in Central Java and Yogyakarta.
Hariyadi Sukamdani, chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association (GIPI) and owner of WITF, said: “Through SEABEF and WITF 2025, we aspire to strengthen Indonesia’s positioning as a premier tourism and MICE hub in South-east Asia and to make a meaningful contribution.”
