Minister hopes PM Modi's visit boosts Prambanan Temple's global exposure

Tourism Minister Widiyanti Wardhana hopes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit can increase the exposure of Prambanan Temple in the Indian and international markets. “We hope more Indian tourists will visit priority tourism destinations such as Prambanan Temple, Borobudur, and tourist villages,” Widiyanti said in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday. During her visit to Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta on Wednesday to accompany President Prabowo Subianto, Widiyanti assessed that the momentum of PM Modi’s visit could be utilised as a high-value promotional tool to introduce Indonesia’s cultural and tourism wealth to the global community. The cultural proximity between Indonesia and India also means a number of destinations in Indonesia have strong potential to be developed for the Indian tourist market, particularly in the spiritual and cultural tourism segments. She noted that since 2025, the Indonesian government has been developing the Siwaratri and Mahasiwaratri commemorations as part of religious and cultural activities with the potential to attract foreign tourists from India. To attract tourist visits to Prambanan Temple, the Ministry of Tourism is also working with various parties to create attractive travel packages while strengthening connectivity to the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java. To make it easier for tourists from India and other countries to visit Yogyakarta, the Ministry of Tourism is encouraging the opening of direct flights to Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA), including through coordination with the Indian government to open routes to YIA, and urging Angkasa Pura to provide incentives such as landing and parking fee waivers during certain periods. According to the Minister, with broader connectivity, opportunities to increase tourist visits, cultural exchanges, MICE activities, tourism investment, and the development of tour packages based on culture, spirituality, wellness, and heritage are expected to grow. The Ministry of Tourism has also encouraged India’s inclusion in the Visa-Free Visit (BVK) scheme for tourists. The proposal is currently under discussion under the coordination of Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs. “Through the momentum of Prime Minister Modi’s visit, we hope to further strengthen Indonesia’s image as a world-class tourism destination in the eyes of Indian tourists and the international community,” she said. The scope of cooperation includes research and development, education and training, promotion, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions), investment, and private sector cooperation. On 30 May 2018, Indonesia and India also agreed to form a Joint Task Force to improve connectivity between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and provinces in Sumatra. Follow-up to the Joint Task Force continued until 2020, including through joint tourism promotion, tour package development, and cultural exchanges. Relations between Indonesia and India are also strengthened through various multilateral cooperation forums such as ASEAN-India cooperation regarding the Joint Statement on cooperation in supporting the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). The number of foreign tourist arrivals from India from January to May 2026 was 298,450 visits, an increase of 0.40 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Indian tourist visits also showed a positive trend during the 2023 to 2025 period, growing from 606,439 in 2023 to 734,490 in 2025.