"We must carefully prepare all aspects to ensure the safety, comfort, and smooth travel experiences of tourists," she stated in a press statement on Saturday.
According to the ministry’s data, the number of people travelling during the holiday period is expected to touch 110.67 million.
"This moment presents a significant opportunity for the tourism sector. I urge all business actors to ensure the readiness of accommodations, transportation, and destinations to provide the best experience to domestic and foreign tourists," Wardhana said.
She noted that Indonesia's tourism sector continues to show a positive growth. From January to September 2024, the number of foreign tourists visits reached 10.3 million, while domestic tourist trips reached 757.96 million.
The quality of tourism has also improved, as reflected by an increase in Indonesia's Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) ranking by the World Economic Forum, with the nation now ranking 22nd out of 119 countries, 6th in Asia-Pacific, and 2nd in ASEAN.
However, the minister listed several challenges to the development of domestic tourism, such as issues related to cleanliness, infrastructure readiness, and environmental sustainability issues.
"This is an opportunity for us to directly hear the challenges, explore ideas and opportunities for collaboration. We aim to create broader opportunities and more intensive collaboration program with all industry players and tourism associations," she added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ni Luh Puspa, said that the government is paying great attention to accommodating tourists during the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year holidays, for instance, by maintaining security and safety at tourist destinations and preventing illegal levies.
"The Tourism Ministry will issue a circular regarding preparations for the Christmas and New Year holidays. We will also visit destinations to ensure the security," she informed.
She also assured that the function of Tourism Crisis Management would be optimized during the year-end holidays.
"Hopefully, the crisis center can continue to be activated to address crisis, including natural disasters, at tourist destinations," she added.
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Translator: Vinny Shoffa, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Bayu Prasetyo
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