Indonesia Seeks to Increase Economic Gains from Mandalika MotoGP

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Mandalika MotoGP event in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has had a significant impact on Indonesia's economy. The government is now seeking to increase both visitor numbers and the economic value of sports tourism.

Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir said the economic impact of the Mandalika MotoGP had nearly reached Rp5 trillion and would continue to be leveraged to support the government's target of achieving 8 percent economic growth.

"MotoGP is no small event. Its economic impact is real, reaching nearly IDR 5 trillion," Minister Erick said while attending the launch of the book MotoGP Mandalika 2025: Akselerasi Ekonomi, Citra, dan Pariwisata (MotoGP Mandalika 2025: Accelerating the Economy, Image, and Tourism) at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in Jakarta on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

According to Minister Erick, the government aims to further increase the economic benefits generated by the international racing event so that its impact can be felt more broadly.

He said the MotoGP had proven to be a highly impactful program at both the national and regional levels. "We are continuing to improve it, and this year's visitor target could reach 145,000 people," Minister Erick said.

Minister Erick added that the government continued to coordinate with relevant ministries to develop sports tourism, given its enormous potential.

According to him, one of the missions behind developing sports tourism is to support President Prabowo Subianto's goal of achieving 8 percent economic growth.

"We are exploring every potential contribution we can make to this country. One way is by coordinating, implementing, and creating activities that have a meaningful impact on sports tourism," he said.

Earlier, Minister Erick said sports tourism needed to be developed more aggressively, noting that the global sports tourism market was valued at around IDR 9,500 trillion, while Indonesia currently accounted for only 0.5 percent of that figure.

"Sports has tremendous potential that we have not fully recognized. If we look at it, the global sports industry is now worth around Rp8,000 trillion, which is an extraordinary figure. Meanwhile, the global sports tourism market has reached IDR 9,500 trillion," he said.

Erick said Indonesia needed to maximize this opportunity, as it currently generated only around IDR 39 trillion, or 0.5 percent of the global market value, leaving it far behind on the global stage.

He expressed confidence that Indonesia could secure a larger share of the market if it fully tapped into its vast potential. ***