ASEAN and South Korea Target 20 Million Tourist Exchanges
Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Tourism said ASEAN countries and South Korea are targeting an increase in two-way tourist exchanges from 13 million to more than 20 million through better travel facilitation and improved regional tourism services.
“Our focus is shifting to tangible results: piloting joint initiatives, standardising regional service frameworks and integrating digital solutions across the travel customer value chain,” said Martini M. Paham, the Tourism Ministry’s Deputy for Human Resources and Institutions, at the 2026 ASEAN-Korea Roundtable on Tourism (AKRT) in Jakarta on Thursday.
Martini said the cooperation was intended to produce concrete measures to improve connectivity and the visitor experience across the region.
The target for increased tourist exchanges also aligns with Indonesia’s efforts to develop high-quality, sustainable and inclusive tourism, in line with the 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) and the vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.
This year’s meeting focused on implementing joint initiatives, aligning regional tourism service frameworks and integrating digital solutions throughout the traveller journey.
The two-day event invited participants to discuss four key themes: improving travel security and facilitation; strengthening systems to address travel barriers; training tourism-sector human resources; and understanding cultural diversity.
Policy recommendations from the meeting will subsequently be taken forward by technical working groups so they can be translated into institutional measures.
The programme also includes a technical visit to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah on Saturday (7 November) to introduce participants to Indonesia’s cultural diversity.
Hyun Sun Hong, Executive Director of the Korea MICE Bureau representing the Korea Tourism Organization, said the meeting served as a bridge for sharing knowledge and strengthening friendship and cooperation among the governments represented.
Hong said South Korea and ASEAN were mutually valued partners who could build shared knowledge through the tourism sector and explore ways to strengthen its impact on society.