Minister values strong civilisational ties between Indonesia and India

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana has assessed that Indonesia and India share a deep civilisational bond.

“We want to make Prambanan one of the important bridges in strengthening cultural and spiritual tourism ties between Indonesia and India. Together with Bali, Prambanan has a strong emotional and spiritual connection with Indian tourists,” Widiyanti said in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday.

During a working visit accompanying President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto to Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta on Wednesday (8/7), Widiyanti said the traces of the relationship between the two nations are reflected in art, language, literature, architecture, spiritual traditions, and great epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Prambanan Temple is also one of the symbols of the civilisational closeness between Indonesia and India.

Widiyanti also viewed the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Indonesia, particularly the agenda of visiting Prambanan Temple in Yogyakarta, as an important moment to strengthen Indonesia-India relations through culture, spirituality, and tourism.

“We see Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Prambanan as a highly important moment to strengthen people-to-people contact between Indonesia and India. The relationship between the two countries is not merely a diplomatic one, but also a cultural and civilisational relationship that has been built over a long period,” she said.

The number of foreign tourist visits from India between January and May 2026 totalled 298,450, an increase of 0.40 percent from the same period the previous year.

Indian tourist arrivals have also shown a positive trend from 2023 to 2025, growing from 606,439 in 2023 to 734,490 in 2025.

Tourism relations between the two countries are expected to grow not only in terms of tourist arrival numbers, but also through improved quality of travel experiences, stronger cultural affinity, and closer interaction between communities.

Widiyanti expressed hope that Prime Minister Modi’s visit would further increase exposure of Indonesian tourism, particularly Prambanan Temple as a world-class cultural tourism destination.