"The Ministry of Transportation fully supports the development of the tourism sector by improving connectivity and transportation infrastructure," said the minister during a visit by Tourism Minister Widiyanthi Putri Wardhana here on Tuesday.
He stated that the Ministry of Transportation continues to provide support by improving transportation connectivity and accessibility to support national tourism destinations.
"We will continue to strengthen access to tourist destinations to make travel easier, safer, and more comfortable for tourists," said Purwagandhi.
He admitted that his ministry, along with Tourism Minister Putri Wardhana, highlighted the importance of connectivity as a key to accelerating tourism growth.
Both agreed that adequate transportation access would make tourist destinations competitive, both nationally and internationally.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Widiyanthi Putri Wardhana said her ministry has requested support from the Ministry of Transportation, including opening flight routes to priority and regenerative tourist destinations, both domestic and international.
The tourism minister proposed a direct flight route from Yogyakarta airport to and from several cities in China, Korea, Japan, Australia, and India.
The minister also proposed opening the Silangit flight route to and from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Other proposed routes are Lombok - Sydney, Labuan Bajo - Melbourne / Perth, Belitung - Kuala Lumpur, Belitung - Singapore, Manado - Manila, and Surabaya - Guangzhou and Shanghai.
The Minister of Tourism noted that international flight access is crucial given the rapid growth in foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia.
However, Indonesia's position remains suboptimal compared to other Southeast Asian countries. "Therefore, we need to optimize it further," said the minister.
She stated that based on data from the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) for the period January to June 2025, the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia was 7.05 million.
This number increased by 9.44 percent from 6.44 million visits in the same period in 2024. However, this figure still ranks fifth in ASEAN, below Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.
The minister also appreciated the various efforts made by the Ministry of Transportation to support national tourism, particularly in expanding access to international airports.
"We hope this will strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian tourist destinations," she said.
In addition, she also asked for support from the Ministry of Transportation in accelerating the development of marine tourism in Indonesia.
The support needed is in terms of licensing for tourism sea transportation and improving standards, procedures, and supervision of sea transportation safety.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Katriana
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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