InJourney Maps Out 3 Challenges Facing National Tourism
Jakarta - State-owned aviation and tourism holding company PT Aviasi Pariwisata Indonesia (Persero), or InJourney, participated in a dialogue between the government and tourism industry stakeholders in Bali. During the event, InJourney President Director Maya Watono outlined the various challenges facing the tourism industry in Bali, along with proposed solutions. Through this participation, InJourney hopes to contribute to enhancing Indonesia’s globally competitive tourism sector.
The purpose of the dialogue was to directly absorb aspirations from business operators in order to strengthen steps toward a more advanced and competitive Indonesian tourism industry.
During the event, Maya presented three main challenges facing Indonesia’s aviation and tourism sectors that need to be addressed in an integrated manner to strengthen competitiveness. The mapping identified three key priorities: connectivity, infrastructure and accommodation, and destination development and promotion.
Maya explained that in terms of connectivity, the main challenges remain in the limited domestic flight fleet, limited direct international flights to various airports in Indonesia, and the suboptimal incentive schemes and partnerships to attract and retain international airline routes.
“To address this, InJourney is pushing for connectivity strengthening measures through the evaluation of several connectivity-related regulations that can increase inbound traffic at priority tourism destinations, as well as providing incentives for new route openings combined with joint promotion programs with inbound airlines,” Maya explained in a written statement on Sunday (15/2/2026).
Regarding infrastructure and accommodation, the increase in traffic at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) has not been fully matched by adequate access to the airport. Additionally, land connectivity between priority destinations is still limited by suboptimal road infrastructure.
As a solution, InJourney emphasized the importance of aligning the development of integrated intermodal transportation as the main access to airports, accelerating infrastructure improvements at priority destinations such as roads, utilities, and alternative land accessibility like water taxis, toll road support, and accessibility for tourism zones.
As for destination development and promotion, strengthening destination branding and marketing, particularly anchor attractions, still requires stronger promotional support to create sustainable appeal and increase length of stay. Additionally, funding schemes and incentives to attract and retain global-scale international events remain limited.
InJourney proposed providing incentives for travel agents as catalysts for promotion and area development, providing financial incentives for external activities that promote key destinations such as film production, collaboration with global travel agents, and creative industry-based promotion. Furthermore, InJourney is pushing for the establishment of a Quality Tourism Fund to support funding for international events such as MotoGP, concerts, and various other global events.
“Through this issue mapping, InJourney affirms the need for cross-stakeholder collaboration so that the strengthening of connectivity, accessibility, and destination promotion can proceed within a single policy orchestration. The ultimate target is clear—to create sustainable tourism growth that has a real impact on both local and national economies,” Maya said.
The meeting served as a dialogue space to strengthen synergy between the government and business operators. The government reaffirmed its commitment to continuing close partnerships with tourism stakeholders from various sectors. This synergy is expected to enhance the global competitiveness of Indonesian tourism by prioritizing the principles of sustainability and economic resilience for the nation.
The dialogue with tourism sector business operators was also attended by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming, Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, Minister of MSMEs Maman Abdurrahman, Bali Governor Wayan Koster, Deputy Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa, as well as representatives from ministries and agencies, and all regents and mayors from Bali Province.
Business operators in attendance represented PHRI (tourism); ARKI (travel services); GAHAWISRI (water tourism enterprises); ASPERAPI, INCCA, IVENDO (MICE event organizers); INACA (tourism transportation services); GIPI (Indonesian Tourism Industry Association); and others.