Bandung (ANTARA) - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno invited the public to explore the beauty of Indonesia's nature through Metaverse, such as Wonderverse Indonesia, which is metaverse created by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

"Wonderverse Indonesia allows us to explore the beauty of Indonesia through the amalgamation of technology, culture, natural beauty, and the creative economy," Uno stated at the 7th International Conference on Management in Emerging Markets (ICMEM) 2022 held by the Business and Management School of the Bandung Institute of Technology on Wednesday.

The 2022 ICMEM event discussed metaverse as a future technology in business and management in emerging markets.

Advancements in digital technology encourage the increasingly popular use of the metaverse in Indonesia and private companies, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), and government for various purposes.

Uno pointed out that several banks had created a metaverse to run their businesses, including the creation of virtual bank offices.

In addition, state-owned telecommunication company, PT Telkom Indonesia (Telkom) is interested in entering the world of metaverse by creating a virtual mall called Metanesia.

The government is also following the development of this virtual technology by designing the metaverse version of the new capital city (IKN Nusantara) to enable the public to gain a broader understanding of the situation of the new capital city through the metaverse.

Uno affirmed that the digital economy became a new force for driving the Indonesian economy. Currently, Indonesia has been ranked first in terms of digital economic growth in Southeast Asia.

The value of the internet-based economy in Indonesia has reached US$70 billion and is estimated to continue to increase to US$146 billion by 2025.

"The value of digital investment in Indonesia reached 38.7 percent of the total digital investment in Southeast Asia," the minister remarked.

Meanwhile, ITB rector Reini Wirahadikusumah stated that currently, digital technology had become an intrinsic part of human life. ITB also continued to apply metaverse in the education sector.

Wirahadikusumah noted that the 2022 ICMEM helped various parties to gain a better understanding of metaverse since the COVID-19 pandemic has been causal to increased use of the internet.

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Translator: Ajat Sudrajat, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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