The Indonesian Minister of Culture (Menbud), Fadli Zon, held a\nstrategic meeting with the Minister of Tourism, Widiyanti Putri\nWardhana, at the Sapta Pesona Building in Jakarta. The meeting aimed to\nstrengthen synergy in the development of culture-based tourism\ndestinations.<\/p>\n
Discussions during the meeting included the integration of data on\nNational Cultural Heritage Sites and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH),\nstrengthening the cultural event ecosystem, developing tourism\nitineraries, optimising digital promotion, and fostering cultural\ndiplomacy at the international level.<\/p>\n
At the start of the meeting, Menbud Fadli Zon emphasised the\nimportance of aligning the programmes of both ministries to have a\ntangible impact on the community and the growth of the national tourism\nsector.<\/p>\n
\u201cCulture and tourism are closely related. This collaboration is key\nto ensuring that our cultural potential truly contributes to increasing\ntourist visits,\u201d Fadli said in a written statement on Wednesday (25\nFebruary 2026).<\/p>\n
Fadli explained that the Ministry of Culture currently manages 313\nNational Cultural Heritage Sites and 2,727 ICH sites, with an additional\n514 new ICH sites in 2025. This potential is considered to be not yet\nfully maximised as a strength for cultural, historical, religious, or\nculinary tourism destinations.<\/p>\n
Packaging and narrative are important elements in building a\nsustainable cultural tourism ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Regarding the management of priority sites, Fadli explained that\nseveral areas, such as Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, the Ratu Boko\ncomplex, and Plaosan Temple, are already part of a collaborative\nmanagement scheme with InJourney.<\/p>\n
The government is also strengthening the Dieng Temple complex and the\nMuara Jambi Temple complex, including the construction of Kedaton Temple\nand Koto Mahligai, as well as the inauguration of the Sriwijaya\nDharmakirti Museum next year.<\/p>\n
Regarding Borobudur, Fadli believes that the number of visitors can\nstill be optimised. Currently, the quota of visitors who can access the\nmain structure is around 4,000 people per day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe installation of a chattra is expected to make Borobudur a living\nheritage site with both spiritual significance and global appeal. We\nhope this will increase the number of domestic and international\ntourists,\u201d Fadli said.<\/p>\n
In addition, Fadli highlighted the potential of historical and\narchaeological destinations such as Banda Neira with its Spice Route\nnarrative, colonial forts in the Moluccas, and the Leang-Leang area in\nSouth Sulawesi and Leang Metanduno in Muna, which are approximately\n67,800 years old and have been published in international scientific\njournals.<\/p>\n
This grand narrative of civilisation and history is considered to\nhave great potential for development in an integrated tourism itinerary.\nIn the fields of film and visual arts, the Ministry of Culture\nconsistently supports the participation of Indonesian filmmakers in\nvarious international film festivals and hosts the Jogja-NETPAC Asian\nFilm Festival (JAFF).<\/p>\n
This year, Indonesia will also participate in the Venice Biennale by\nsending 14 visual artists as part of cultural diplomacy, which also\nserves as a platform to promote Indonesian tourism.<\/p>\n
In response, Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana welcomed\nthis synergy and affirmed that her ministry is focused on strengthening\nthe promotion and infrastructure of destinations, including through the\ndigital platform indonesia.travel.id, which has been equipped with\nAI-based trend analysis features.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need data support and storytelling from the Ministry of Culture\nso that museums and cultural heritage sites can be more prominent on our\ndigital platform. Young people seek information online, and we must make\nthe most of this,\u201d said Widiyanti.<\/p>\n
Widiyanti added that the target of increasing visits by 14%, with a\ngoal of 17 million international tourists, requires strengthening\nexperience-based tourism promotion.<\/p>\n
The Kharisma Event Nusantara (KEN) programme, which this year\nincludes 145 events, is considered to be a platform for integrating\ncultural events to have a broader economic impact.<\/p>\n
For information, Fadli was accompanied by the Director-General of\nDiplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation, Endah TD Retnoastuti;\nDirector-General of Cultural Protection and Traditions, Restu Gunawan;\nDirector-General of Development, Utilisation, and Fostering of Culture,\nAhmad Mahendra; and Special Staff to the Minister for Protocol and\nHousehold Affairs, Rachmanda Primayuda.<\/p>\n
Also present were officials from the Ministry of Tourism, including\nSecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Bayu Aji; Special Staff to the\nMinister for Legal Affairs and Accountability, Bambang Andikaning Prang;\nand Special Staff to the Minister for Strategic Studies, Liuz Lady Inez\nDominique.<\/p>\n
This meeting is a concrete step towards building a culture-based\ntourism ecosystem from start to finish, from protecting and\nstrengthening assets, improving the quality of events, integrating data,\nto global promotion. The synergy between the Ministry of Culture and the\nMinistry of Tourism is expected to not only increase the number of\ntourist visits but also strengthen Indonesia\u2019s position as a centre of\ncivilisation and culture in the world.<\/p>\n
(akd\/ega)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/culture-and-tourism-ministers-emphasise-synergy-of-cultural-assets-to-boost-tourist-arrivals-1771995778", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }