Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Indonesia’s newly appointed minister of tourism, plans to boost tourism competitiveness and position it as the leading revenue generator for the economy.
Speaking at the handover ceremony on October 22, Widiyanti outlined her priority work programme for the next six months, which includes developing a strategy for Tourism 5.0, focusing on key pillars such as infrastructure, investment, human resources, and promotion.
She stated that in the near future, she will engage with experts, stakeholders, and the private sector, as well as internal staff, to identify current challenges and trends, and “we will design a tourism transformation strategy” based on their input.
Her second priority is to establish a management scheme for the Indonesia Quality Tourism Fund to enhance the events industry. She noted that events will be a key driver of tourism development in the country, and her office plans to diversify the types of events while increasing the number of international events hosted in Indonesia.
Widiyanti will also emphasise the use of technology and digitalisation in the Tourism 5.0 transformation, such as promoting a calendar of events using AI and other digital innovations.
As part of the transformation, she plans to collaborate with world-class agencies to enhance human resource development, focusing on improving the skills of tourism personnel in five key destinations.
In response to the new tourism minister’s plan, Budijanto Ardiansyah, vice president of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies, opined that Widiyanti’s immediate focus should be on reaching the tourism target of 14 million foreign visitors in 2024.
Paul Talo, chairman of the Indonesian Inbound Tour Operators Association, urged the new minister to implement extensive promotions targeting potential markets. He also expressed hope that the government would partner with inbound tour operators in its marketing activities abroad.
He elaborated: “We know the budget is limited, but if promotions and marketing are carried out in a planned manner and involve the industry, the results will be much better than the current conditions.”
While Budijanto expressed his enthusiasm about working with Widiyanti, he stressed that the ministry should consult with the industry when defining target markets to ensure promotions are right on target, adding that he hopes the industry’s needs will guide the government in shaping future tourism strategies.
