Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Tourism Strengthen Synergy in Culture-Based Tourism

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia are collaborating to strengthen synergy in the development of culture-based tourism destinations. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon stated that it is important to align the programmes of both ministries to have a real impact on the community and the growth of the national tourism sector. “Culture and tourism have a very close relationship. This collaboration is key to ensuring that our cultural potential truly has an impact on increasing tourist visits,” said Minister Fadli in a press statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon and Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana discussed the integration of data on National Cultural Heritage Sites and Intangible Cultural Heritage, strengthening the cultural event ecosystem, developing tourism travel patterns, optimising digital promotion, and collaborating on cultural diplomacy at the international level. The meeting was also a concrete step in building a culture-based tourism ecosystem from upstream to downstream, starting from the protection and strengthening of assets, improving the quality of events, integrating data, to global promotion. This potential is considered to not yet be fully maximised as a strength for cultural, historical, religious, or culinary tourism destinations. Packaging and narrative are important parts of building a sustainable cultural tourism ecosystem. Regarding the management of priority sites, Minister Fadli explained that several areas such as Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, the Ratu Boko complex, and Plaosan Temple are already under a cooperative management scheme with InJourney. The government is also strengthening the Dieng Temple complex and the Muara Jambi Temple complex, including the construction of Kedaton Temple and Koto Mahligai, as well as the inauguration of the Sriwijaya Dharmakirti Museum next year. Meanwhile, regarding Borobudur, Minister Fadli believes that the number of visitors can still be optimised. Currently, the quota of visitors who can go up to the main structure is around 4,000 people per day. “The installation of the chattra is expected to make Borobudur a living heritage that has spiritual meaning as well as global appeal. We hope this can increase the number of domestic and international tourists,” he said. This grand narrative of civilisation and history is considered to have great potential to be developed in an integrated tourism travel pattern. In the field of film and visual arts, the Ministry of Culture consistently supports the participation of Indonesian filmmakers in various international film festivals and hosts the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF). This year, Indonesia will also participate in the Venice Biennale by sending 14 visual artists as part of cultural diplomacy, which also serves as a platform to promote Indonesian tourism. In response, Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana affirmed that her ministry is focusing on strengthening the promotion and infrastructure of destinations, including through the digital platform indonesia.travel.id, which has been equipped with artificial intelligence-based trend analysis features. “We need data support and storytelling from the Ministry of Culture so that museums and cultural heritage sites can appear more prominently on our digital platform. Young people are looking for information online, and we must make the most of this,” said Minister Widiyanti. Minister Widiyanti added that the target of increasing visits by 14 percent, with a target of 17 million international tourists, requires strengthening experience-based tourism promotion. The Kharisma Event Nusantara (KEN) programme, which this year reaches 145 events, is considered to be a space for integrating cultural events to have a wider economic impact. The synergy between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism is expected not only to increase the number of tourist visits, but also to strengthen Indonesia’s position as a centre of world civilisation and culture. Copyright © ANTARA 2026 It is strictly prohibited to take content, crawl or automatically index for AI on this website without written permission from the ANTARA News Agency.