Tourism Minister Unveils Indonesia’s Future Tourism Strategy

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, highlighted achievements and future strategy of Indonesia’s tourism development at a forum organized by the Harvard Indonesian Student Association (HISA) in Jakarta, Tuesday, 20 January 2026.

The Minister, in her presentation, emphasized that Indonesia’s tourism draws strength as an archipelagic nation with more than 17,000 islands, rich biodiversity, and over 6,100 tourism villages rich in strong traditions and local wisdom.

She noted that five Indonesian tourism villages have been recognized by UN Tourism as among the world’s best tourism villages. In addition, Indonesia is home to 12 UNESCO Global Geoparks, 10 World Heritage Sites, and 16 items of intangible cultural heritage listed by UNESCO.

The Minister explained that the government is currently focusing on sustainable tourism development and community empowerment across 13 key destinations, consisting of 10 Priority Tourism Destinations and 3 Regenerative Destinations. At the same time, local governments and industry players are encouraged to independently develop other destinations.

“Our vision is not only to attract tourist arrivals, but also to drive inclusive economic growth and ensure fair opportunities for all segments of society,” Minister Widiyanti stated.

Throughout 2025, the performance of the tourism sector proved robust. International tourist arrivals reached 13.98 million during the January-November 2025 period and are projected to reach 15.34 million by the end of December, exceeding the target of 15 million visits.

Average spending by international tourists also increased to USD 1,259, with tourism foreign exchange earnings estimated at USD 18.53 billion. The tourism sector has also become a key driver of job creation, employing 25.91 million workers as of August 2025, with a target to increase to 26.53 million workers in 2026.

At the ASEAN level, Indonesia ranked fifth in terms of the number of tourist arrivals during the January-November 2025 period. However, in terms of growth, Indonesia ranked second in growth rate regionally.

Looking ahead to 2026, the Ministry of Tourism has curated five flagship programs: strengthening tourism security, increasing the scale and quality of tourism villages, developing thematic tourism packages, fostering the Event by Indonesia program, and implementing technology-based Tourism 5.0.

In addition to gastronomy, wellness tourism, and marine tourism, development is now expanding into the arts, design, and textile sectors to broaden appeal for the mid-to-high-end travellers market segment.