UN Tourism Summit 2026: Indonesia Advocates Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

RRI.CO.ID, Berlin - The Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, Widiyanti Putri, attended the UN Tourism Ministers’ Summit 2026. It was held as part of the ITB Berlin series at CityCube Berlin, Germany.

The high-level forum, organized by UN Tourism in collaboration with Messe Berlin, with the theme "Empowering Emerging Destinations: From Potential to Performance" and served as a crucial momentum for strengthening global collaboration amidst the increasingly robust recovery of global tourism.

In the meeting, which brought together Tourism Ministers, private sector leaders, and global industry stakeholders, Minister Widiyanti Putri engaged in dialogue and exchanged views on various strategic issues that pose both challenges and opportunities for developing destinations. The discussion highlighted the importance of strong governance in managing tourism growth to ensure it remains balanced and does not strain infrastructure, communities, or the environment.

Based on information received by RRI Voice of Indonesia on Monday, 2 March 2026, the forum also addressed aligning investment with destination priorities and direct benefits for local communities, strengthening human resource capacity, and utilizing data and digital technology to support tourism sector planning and innovation.

The Secretary-General of the UN Tourism, in his opening remarks at the UN Tourism Ministers' Summit, emphasized the close relationship between tourism and peace, stating that tourism needs peace, and conversely, peace fosters tourism. This vital link is crucial in advancing tourism connectivity and infrastructure, which then enables tourism destination development to transform potential into a sustainable reality.

On this occasion, Minister Widiyanti Putri, stated that significant global tourism growth must be accompanied by inclusive, sustainable, and collaborative policies. Indonesia believes that the transformation of developing destinations should not only focus on increasing visitor numbers, but also on the quality of tourism experiences, equitable distribution of economic benefits, and long-term destination resilience.

Indonesia also shared its experiences in community-based destination development, sustainable tourism strategies, and public-private partnership models that encourage high-quality, effective investment.

Indonesia's participation in the 2026 UN Tourism Ministers' Summit reaffirms the country's commitment to strengthening tourism diplomacy and expanding international cooperation networks. Indonesia has received praise and been cited as a role model by many global tourism ministers, particularly in areas such as investment and promotion, destination management, and the use of technology, particularly AI, in tourism marketing strategies.

This forum is expected to produce practical solutions and concrete steps that can be implemented by member countries, particularly in encouraging emerging destinations to transform from merely having potential to becoming truly competitive, inclusive, and sustainable destinations.