While at Lake Toba, the tourists’ spending is still low.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has encouraged the optimalization of domestic and foreign investment for the development of five super-priority tourism destinations (DPSPs).

The five DPSPs are Lake Toba in North Sumatra Province, Borobudur Temple in Central Java Province, Mandalika area in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, Labuan Bajo area in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, and Likupang area in North Sulawesi Province.

"We need to optimize development of the tourism sector, especially regarding the accessibility, amenities, and attractiveness. However, its source of funding cannot only rely on the APBN (state budget) and APBD (regional budget), but also from the investment, both domestic and foreign," he remarked virtually at the ‘Investment Forum: 5 Super Priority Tourism Destinations’ held in Labuan Bajo, NTT Province, on Friday.

He noted that the realization of investment in the tourism and creative economy sectors had reached Rp5.31 trillion since 2020 until the first quarter of 2022.

Although the investment realization was quite good, he called to give special attention to Borobudur Temple and Lake Toba since the tourists’ length of stay in DPSPs was still low.

"Regarding the average length of stay of tourists at Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, and Likupang, currently, it is quite good, which is around three to five days. Meanwhile, at Borobudur (Temple) and Lake Toba, it is only about one to two days," the coordinating minister noted.

In addition, currently, foreign tourists spend around US$500 to US$1,000 on average per visit in Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, Borobudur Temple, and Likupang.

"At Lake Toba, the tourists’ spending is still low," Pandjaitan stated.

Hence, he urged Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia to continue to maintain the trust of investors and strengthen the ease of doing investment while still paying attention to the environment and local wisdom, expediting the licensing process, as well as providing investment incentives.

In addition, he called on the investment minister to collaborate with regional heads to accelerate investment realization, increase promotion on investment projects, and provide incentives for investors.

Furthermore, the coordinating minister also called on Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno to bolster tourism promotion, improve the quality of human resources, and strengthen the governance of tourism destinations.

"We should be grateful that Indonesia's Travel and Tourism Development Index score increased, from 4.2 to 4.4 and rose, from the 44th ranking to 32nd. For the first time, (the ranking of) Indonesia is higher than (the ranking of) Thailand and Malaysia. Thank you for the hard work of all parties, we hope to (continue to) strengthen Indonesia's rank (in the index) to ensure the investors to invest their capital," he remarked.

He also called on state-run and regional-owned enterprises (BUMN and BUMD) to fully support the development of five DPSPs as well as the community to actively participate in maintaining the environment of the priority destinations and becoming a regional brand ambassador.

"The government focuses on making the five DPSPs not only as leading tourism destinations but also as priority investment destinations. We invite investors to take advantage of the current good momentum to invest in the five DPSPs," he added.

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Translator: Ade Junida, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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