The Importance of Sustainable Tourism for Indonesia's Global Competitiveness

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Vice Minister of Tourism Ni Luh Puspa emphasised the importance of the transition towards sustainable tourism, stating that it is no longer just a global trend, but a strategic necessity for Indonesia to remain competitive amidst global competition.

“In line with this, the Ministry of Tourism views sustainable tourism as the main foundation for the future development of Indonesian tourism. This approach is in line with the direction of national development policy and the dynamics of global tourism,” said Ni Luh in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Wednesday.

When opening the STDev Circle Forum with the theme “Sustainable Tourism Movement and Action” online on Wednesday (25/2), Ni Luh assessed that the global travel landscape has changed significantly.

Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism is promoting five flagship programs to strengthen the national ecosystem, namely Improving Tourism Safety, Village Tourism, Quality Tourism, Event by Indonesia, and Tourism 5.0.

These five programs are designed to create a resilient, inclusive, technology-adaptive ecosystem, and focus on more meaningful tourist experiences.

Meanwhile, domestic tourist (wisnus) trips reached 1.20 billion trips, an increase of 17.55 percent. This growth reflects optimism and market confidence in Indonesia’s tourism, which continues to transform.

Indonesia has even received various international recognitions, strengthening its position as an increasingly important destination. Pemuteran Village Tourism and Osing Kemiren Village Tourism received awards from UN Tourism. In addition, 33 hotels and resorts in Indonesia received MICHELIN Keys recognition, marking an improvement in the quality of services and globally-standard accommodation experiences.

She emphasised that these achievements can only be achieved through strong collaboration between stakeholders.

The STDev Circle Forum is considered strategic because it brings together various supporting elements from the five flagship programs, starting from policy makers, business actors, academics, communities, to young people.

Cross-sectoral synergy is key to ensuring that tourism growth goes hand in hand with environmental preservation and improved community welfare.

“I hope this forum will be the starting point for the birth of concrete collaboration and real action in strengthening an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable tourism ecosystem in Indonesia,” she said.