Foreign tourists visit Baiturrahman Mosque in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Minister Sri Mulyani said at the 2021 national coordination meeting oftourism and creative economy that the budget will be used to develop thissmokeless industry on three aspects, including accessibility, attractionsand amenities, promotion and private participation.
In 2021, the Indonesian government has allocated 7,670 billion rupiahto revive the tourism industry and creative economy. This effort is aimed atsupporting super-priority tourist destinations, including Lake Toba,Borobudur, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo and Likupang, ready to open to domestic andforeign tourists as soon as restrictions are eased.
Earlier on the same day, Tourism and Creative Economy MinisterSandiaga Uno said that nearly 2 million tourism workers in Indonesia are atrisk of losing their jobs and having their livelihoods affected due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In the first six months of this year, the number of foreign touriststo Indonesia fell by 80 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period andhigher than the 75 percent decline in the same period last year. Meanwhile,the number of domestic tourists also decreased by nearly 30 percent as thegovernment imposed some travel restrictions.
According to Uno, before the pandemic, tourism was the secondlargest foreign exchange earner after the oil and gas sector. However, in2020, the amount of foreign currency exchange from tourism only reached 3.54 billionUSD, down nearly 80 percent compared to 2019./.
VNA
