BATAM (Riau Islands): Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno is targeting the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Riau Islands to reach three million in 2024, the same figure as before the COVID-19 pandemic, reported Antara.
After attending the Indonesia Tourism Outlook 2024 discussion event in Batam, Riau Islands, on Tuesday, Sandiaga stated that the culinary industry is a mainstay sector to attract foreign tourists to visit Riau Islands.
This has been proven by the sector’s growth that is relatively high in line with the increase in tourist arrivals.
“For Batam, the growth in this sector is almost five per cent, or with total transactions of over Rp600 billion (US$38.7 million),“ he said.
Sandiaga noted that in 2023, Batam contributed 1.5 million foreign tourist arrivals from a total of 11 million foreign tourist arrivals across Indonesia. Riau Islands was also the third most popular entry point for foreign tourists to enter Indonesia.
On the same occasion, Sandiaga stated that his ministry is targeting Indonesia to achieve the target of 16 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2024.
He expressed optimism that the target in 2024 will be achieved, as foreign tourists’ interest and confidence in Indonesia had been increasing.
“Seeing the high demand for visiting Indonesia, we are optimistic that we can achieve the target as before the pandemic.”
Sandiaga said Batam is a “travel hub” for foreign and domestic tourists keen on exploring Indonesia.
He added that with its strategic geographical location and it being on the border between Indonesia and other countries, Batam City has quite a high potential to become an entry point for foreign tourists.–Bernama-ANTARA
