Indonesia Eco-Sport Tourism Drives Push for More International Tourists
- 09 Jul 2026 18:38 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- The Ministry of Tourism and the Youth and Sports Ministry have agreed on new national standards for developing and managing sports facilities to support sport tourism.
- Sport tourism is the world's fastest-growing tourism segment, accounting for 10% of global tourism spending and projected to grow by 17.5% annually through 2030, according to UN Tourism (UNWTO).
RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and the Youth and Sports Ministry have officially agreed on new standards for the development and management of sports facilities throughout Indonesia. Through the signing of this cross-sectoral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two ministries are committed to transforming sports venues in various regions so they serve not only as venues for athletes to compete but also as tourist-friendly facilities.
Ministry of Tourism Spokesperson, Nia Niscaya, said the sport tourism segment is the fastest-growing in the world. Citing UN Tourism (UNWTO) data, she noted that sport tourism accounts for 10 percent of global tourist spending and is projected to grow to 17.5 percent annually by 2030.
“This growth is driven by travelers seeking memorable, health-oriented experiences rather than mere entertainment,” said Nia in Jakarta on Wednesday, 9 July 2026.
Nia also said sport tourism events are effective catalysts for broader tourism growth. The Ministry of Tourism consistently supports sport tourism development as one of Indonesia’s tourism growth drivers.
As reported by Antara, support measures include strengthening sport destinations and attractions, building industry capacity, integrated promotion through national campaigns, and facilitating events with tourism potential.
The Ministry of Tourism and the Youth and Sports Ministry have signed a MoU that covers collaboration on mapping event potential, standardizing event organization, and developing tourist-friendly sport venues. The two ministries will also conduct joint promotion for national and international sporting events.
Despite the sector’s promise, the direct economic impact of sport events remains relatively small compared with supporting activities such as fitness tourism, adventure tourism and experiential tourism.
According to a 2024 report, sport tourism directly accounted for only 9.74 percent of international arrivals engaged in tourism activities, while fitness-related activities contributed 13.35 percent. Adventure tourism represented the largest share at 41.45 percent, followed by experiential or integrated area tourism at 10.9 percent of total arrivals.
For this reason, the Ministry continues to strengthen coordination with regional administrations to stage high-quality, distinctively Indonesian events that can raise the country’s profile globally across a range of topics, including sport tourism.
Attractive events are then entered into the Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) program, which is curated each year through strict selection.
The Ministry encourages local administration to develop sport tourism combined with fitness, adventure and experiential activities. The strategy aims to attract higher-value visitors who stay longer, spend more, and show stronger commitment to sustainable tourism.***
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