How the Ministry of Tourism is Strategising to Continuously Upgrade Destinations
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Tourism has outlined strategies to ensure that tourist destinations in Indonesia continue to elevate their status and remain competitive with neighbouring countries.
“The government is continuously striving to overcome various obstacles and barriers that affect the competitiveness of Indonesian tourism compared to competitor countries in ASEAN,” the Ministry of Tourism told ANTARA in Jakarta on Saturday.
The Ministry of Tourism is collaborating with relevant agencies, local governments, business actors, and stakeholders to improve the quality of products and services. This synergistic effort is being undertaken to strengthen Indonesia’s tourism competitiveness and its position as a competitive, attractive, and trusted destination for the international market.
The “Pariwisata Naik Kelas” (Elevating Tourism) programme has been established as one of the five flagship programmes for 2026. This programme is directed towards strengthening Indonesia’s image as a high-quality tourism destination, while simultaneously attracting the affluent tourist segment with higher purchasing power.
This step will be implemented through the development of premium tourism packages themed around gastronomy, wellness, marine tourism, traditional textiles (wastra), as well as arts and design, serving as primary attractions to increase the quality of international visitor arrivals.
Specific measures include increasing the effectiveness of converting international market interest into actual visits, adding international flight routes and seat capacities to Indonesia’s premier destinations, and refining visa policies to be more user-friendly and competitive. This includes reviewing the number of visa-free countries and visa-on-arrival fees, as well as expanding the development and promotion of attractions beyond Bali through the “Bali Beyond” strategy.
According to the Ministry, they are also closely monitoring shifts in tourism trends. Currently, the improvement in the quality of Indonesian tourism is evident in the rising number of international arrivals accompanied by an increase in the average expenditure per tourist.
Cumulatively, from January to April 2026, the number of international tourist arrivals reached 4.68 million, representing an 8.24 per cent growth compared to the same period the previous year, which recorded 4.33 million arrivals.
Meanwhile, tourism foreign exchange earnings in the first quarter of 2026 reached 4.05 billion dollars, or approximately Rp68.28 trillion, an increase of 6.30 per cent compared to 3.81 billion dollars (approximately Rp62.29 trillion) during the same period last year.
Previously, during a Joint Working Meeting with the Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday (3/6), Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) requested the Ministry of Tourism to map the tourism growth of neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia to strengthen domestic tourism. This comment was made in response to concerns regarding Vietnam’s tourism sector surpassing Indonesia, particularly regarding the development of new destinations. Novita requested that the Ministry of Tourism remain vigilant regarding this issue, as it pertains to Indonesia’s tourism standing both within the Southeast Asian region and on the global stage.