Uno to adjust tourism strategy to anticipate recession

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has said that he will tweak the development strategy for the foreign tourist market and the tourism sector in anticipation of a global recession this year.

“Three countries, those being the United States, China, and European countries, as global economic locomotives, have been (predicted) to face recession; thus, their economies will slow down. The threat of recession is expected to affect some countries, which are Indonesian foreign tourist markets,” the minister noted on Tuesday.

Therefore, the ministry will redirect its focus to countries that have shown a great interest in Indonesia so far, like India, Australia, and New Zealand, he informed.

“The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry will adjust the focus of the foreign tourist market to countries that are big markets. Currently, the countries whose tourist visits to Indonesia are showing great increase are India, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as Malaysia and Singapore,” he informed.

Moreover, the domestic tourist market, which could become a potential backbone of the tourism industry, will be improved consistently in terms of services, he added.

Thus, local tourism aspects, such as culinary tours, shopping tours, and tourist villages will be improved to boost regional economic growth.

“Indonesia will still grow by around five percent; of course, we must focus on encouraging domestic tourist dynamics to reach the target of 1.2 billion to 1.4 billion. We will fully encourage the domestic tourist dynamics,” he affirmed.

He said that he will also focus on micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) players to maintain the employment rate, improve people’s purchasing power, and boost aviation industry performance.

Uno explained the reason behind such prioritization: MSMEs contribute 97 percent to the national employment rate and make up 70 percent of tourism and creative players.

Minister Uno said he is confident that Indonesia still has promising economic prospects as there has been an increase in activity following the lifting of activity restrictions some time ago, despite the looming threat of recession.

“Moreover, the tourism and creative economy sectors will create 1.1 million new jobs and 4.4 million (good) quality jobs in 2024, which will certainly improve Indonesia’s economy,” he added. 

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