Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship to promote domestic tourism

Malang, The Gulf Observer: Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno says that Indonesia’s Chairmanship at the 2023 ASEAN becomes an opportunity to strengthen and promote Indonesia’s tourism potential.

During his working visit to Malang, East Java, on Sunday, the minister noted that Indonesia’s chairmanship is an opportunity to prove that Indonesia’s domestic tourism sector is the best in the region.

“This is our opportunity to show that our domestic tourism is superior in the ASEAN region,” he emphasized.

He believes that Indonesia’s tourism sector is currently considered superior when compared to other ASEAN member countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. He said that Indonesia’s tourism potential is considered very large.

With the very promising potential of the tourism sector, it must become the main focus to revive the Indonesian economy which was previously hit by the pandemic, he added.

“Let us focus on our tourism industry for our economic revival and provide economic solutions for the people,” he said.

Specifically in the Greater Malang area, Uno said there are a number of tourist villages that have been receiving national and international awards with promising potential.

One of them is the Pujon Kidul Tourism Village in Malang District, which received the 2021 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI) for the Inspirational Independent Village Category.

There was also Sanankerto Village which won third place in the Tourism Attraction Village category and received appreciation from international forums for its participation in the 5th ASEAN Rural Development and Poverty Eradication Awards in 2022.

“Therefore, I also encourage other tourism, not only in East Java but throughout Indonesia, to become a world-class tourism village,” he said.

As an effort to improve the quality of the tourist village, Uno emphasized that the government will provide assistance to existing tourism and strengthen the promotional effort to optimize its potentials.

“We will provide mentoring training and the Indonesian Tourism Village Award program will promote it. With this effort, we hope more tourists will come, both foreign and domestic,” he said.

On that occasion, the minister visited the Kayutangan Heritage Village in Malang City, one of the 75 Indonesian Tourism Villages in 2023.