Tourism Becomes Engine of Indonesia's National Economy

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta: The tourism sector is increasingly asserting its role as a key driver of the national economy, not only through increased foreign tourist visits, but also through foreign exchange contributions, job creation, and human resource development.

Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said that the positive performance of Indonesian tourism throughout 2025 demonstrates the sector's resilience and sustainable potential for the national economy.

"Tourism is not just about the number of visits, but also its impact on foreign exchange, employment, and community welfare," Widiyanti said in an official statement in Jakarta, Friday, January 23, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

In a Working Meeting with Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR), Widiyanti explained that the increase in the number of foreign tourists contributes significantly to the country's foreign exchange earnings. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) shows that from January to November 2025, foreign tourist visits reached 13.98 million, an increase compared to the same period the previous year of 12.66 million.

The majority of these visits come from key market countries that are the focus of government promotion, contributing approximately 72 percent. Malaysia is recorded as the largest contributor, accounting for approximately 17 percent of total international tourist visits.

With this trend, the Ministry of Tourism projects that total foreign tourist visits throughout 2025 will reach 15.3 million visits after the final BPS tabulation in February 2026. This figure exceeds the Government Work Plan (RKP) target of 15 million visits.

Economically, during the first three quarters of 2025, Indonesia's tourism foreign exchange earnings reached US$13.82 billion. This achievement is considered capable of sustainably strengthening the tourism sector's balance sheet.

Not only supported by international tourists, national tourism also demonstrates the strength of the domestic tourist movement. From January to November 2025, the number of domestic tourist trips reached 1.09 billion, surpassing the target of 1.08 billion trips and marking the highest ever recorded.

"This proves that domestic tourism is the backbone of the national tourism sector," said Widiyanti.

The tourism sector's contribution is also evident in its employment sector. By 2025, the sector will employ approximately 25.91 million workers. The government believes this achievement aligns with the focus on tourism development, which prioritizes human resources as the primary foundation.

"We are not only encouraging employment, but also improving quality through training, certification, and competency strengthening," he said.

As part of its sustainable strategy, the Ministry of Tourism will continue various flagship programs in 2026, ranging from the development of tourist villages and quality tourism to the implementation of Tourism 5.0, which focuses on digitizing event permits.

Furthermore, the government aims to facilitate training and certification for thousands of tourism practitioners across Indonesia, including strengthening vocational education through six tourism polytechnics, which are targeted to produce nearly 3,000 work-ready graduates.

Through these various achievements and programs, tourism is expected to continue to be a strategic sector that not only attracts tourists but also strengthens the national economy and the quality of Indonesia's human resources. ***