Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno on June 5 highlighted that the country needs more investment for sustainable tourism development.
At the 2024 International Tourism Investment Forum (ITIF) in Jakarta, he noted that Indonesia's tourism sector recorded 3.6 billion USD in investment in 2023; however, 80% of the investment was for star-rated hotels, restaurants, cafes, and fitness centres.
The country needs more investment in the ecosystem, including the development of sustainable tourism offerings and inclusive community-based tourism, he said, adding some 15-20 billion USD should be funneled into the tourism sector to improve service quality and ensure standards on environment and sustainability.
As much as 943.4 million USD was invested in tourism and innovative economy in Q1, accounting for nearly 32% of the yearly target, with 198.8 million USD poured into star-rated hotels, 114.4 million USD into restaurants, and nearly 18 million USD into apartment hotels.
Uno expressed optimism that the ITIF, held on June 5–6, will help attract more investors from within and outside the country to invest in Indonesia's tourism sector, not only hotels, restaurants, and cafes, but also supporting infrastructure for tourism.
Indonesia has been recognised as the best Muslim-friendly tourist destination in the world by the Global Muslim Travel Index in 2023 and 2024. Its position in the Tourism Development Index also rose significantly in 2024 from 32nd to 22nd.
The country eyes to host 17 million foreign tourist arrivals and serve 1.4 billion domestic ones in 2024./.
