A senior Indonesian official has said her country has been continuously developing traditional medicine as a tourism attraction as it boasts potential to promote tropical plants, enriched by the tradition and culture of its people.

It was stated by Netty Siregar, head of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTE)’s Working Group of Wellness & Healthcare Tourism at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum and related meetings in Bali, Indonesia from October 1-8.

The MoTE is working to diversify the supply of herbal products, ramp up tourism infrastructure and human resources training, and improve treatment using both Western and Eastern therapies.

Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Elka Pangestu committed priority to developing medicinal tourism in four popular tourist destinations - Bali, Jakarta, Manado and Makassar - in collaboration with sports tourism.

At the 25th APEC Foreign and Economic Ministers’ Meeting in Bali on October 5, delegates agreed on the initiative to support the use of safe and effective traditional medicines which will be integrated into healthcare systems involving communities and improving public-private partnerships.

The focus of APEC is to encourage scientific recognition of traditional medicine as a supplement to modern medicine. This recognition will create a wider market for industrial products of traditional medicine for APEC member countries.-VNA