Ministry of Tourism and OTAs develop API system to strengthen accommodation management

The Ministry of Tourism (Kemenpar) is strengthening collaboration with Online Travel Agent (OTA) partners to develop an Application Programming Interface (API)-based verification system to organise the national tourism ecosystem, ensuring all accommodations marketed via digital platforms hold valid business permits. ‘Our policy direction is clear. We aim to foster a fair and competitive tourism industry for sustainable growth,’ said Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana at a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. This initiative is designed to sustain the tourism industry ecosystem, protect tourists’ rights and satisfaction, create a healthy and orderly business environment, and promote good digital governance. Under the implementation plan, OTAs will require businesses to provide three key data points: Business Registration Number (NIB), Standard Industrial Classification (KBLI), and Business Activity Number (NKU). These will be used by OTAs and the Ministry of Tourism, integrated with the OSS system, to automatically verify business permits. If the provided information is accurate, accommodation operators (merchants/hosts) will be verified and approved to operate on OTA platforms. Conversely, if data is incorrect, applications will be rejected or halted. The Ministry of Tourism aims to launch the API system by June 2027. Once operational, OTA managers must ensure no accommodations, properties, or partners are listed without a valid NIB and appropriate KBLI. To ensure this effort is effective and far-reaching, Kemenpar has developed four comprehensive guidance videos on business permits. At the event, Widiyanti urged all OTA platforms to distribute these videos to accommodation owners and feature them on their websites as guides for establishing or offering accommodation businesses in Indonesia.