"We have set the target of 1.4 billion domestic tourists. In this context, Yogyakarta has significantly helped us achieve the target by accounting for 5-7 percent of the overall domestic tourist movements in the first quarter of this year," Uno said in Bantul District, Yogyakarta, on Sunday.
The statement was made after Uno designated Wukirsari Village in Bantul as one of the 75 Best Tourism Villages in the category of World-level Tourism Villages for Rising Indonesia, in the program of Indonesian Tourism Village Award of 2023.
With regard to foreign tourists, he said Yogyakarta has started to perform well to attract them as shown by the province's hotel occupancy rate, which is frequently recorded at the highest figure during weekends and public holidays.
"We also aim to offer homestays in tourism villages as the preferable alternative accommodations for tourists who wish to feel a different experience. Hopefully, we can provide a refreshing fatigue-healing experience," he noted.
Furthermore, Uno said that the Wukirsari Tourism Village possesses complete potential that can be further developed, as the village is blessed with natural beauty, cultural wealth, and varied creative economy products.
"With the joint efforts of the government and related parties, we strive to help the region create and digitize its tourism and cultural craft clusters," he affirmed.
He hopes that the village's designation would serve as a stimulus for related stakeholders to continue to make development in hopes of increasing the economic turnover from batik crafts and tourism transactions in the village of handmade batik.
"All the efforts are expected to increase the number of tourist visits, that, in turn, will help the country achieve the target of 4.4 billion new job vacancies of high quality by 2024," the minister added.
Related news: Ministry hosts workshop to hone local filmmakers' professional skills
Related news: Sandiaga Uno and ATF delegations visit Travel Expo 2023 in Yogyakarta
Translator: Hery Sidik, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
