The increase in the number of international tourists visiting Indonesia has also increased the amount of domestic foreign exchange. Expenditure of foreign tourists increased from the pre-pandemic average of around US$1,200 to around US$3,000.
The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Menparekraf) said that there had been an increase in the quality of international tourist visits (foreign tourists/foreign tourists) to Indonesia in 2022. One of them was an increase in spending which boosted local economic growth.
“Total tourism revenue, which was initially optimistically targeted at US$1.7 billion, we have reached almost more than US$4.2 to 5 billion by the end of this year,” said Sandiaga at the End of 2022 Press Conference, Monday (26/12/2022).
“So we got an upside surprise from foreign tourist visits which also increased in quality, where we saw an increase in the quality of their length of stay and also the quality of local economic spending,” he added.
Sandiaga added, the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia throughout 2022 showed an increase. This is a positive impact on better handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia.
“So we have also started to relax after handling the pandemic, there is no quarantine, no testing, this will immediately increase foreign tourist visits,” said Sandiaga.
In addition, he said, some policies make it easier for foreign tourists.
“Convenience is also obtained from visa relaxation, there are visas on arrival (VoA) which are being re-introduced. After that there are also events related to the G20, as well as events such as MotoGP, there are big events such as WSBK, and several world-class events that we are doing during 2022,” concluded Sandiaga.
Furthermore, one indicator of an increase in tourism foreign exchange in 2022 is an increase in the number of foreign tourists spending in the country.
Deputy for Strategic Policy Nia Niscaya quoted data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), foreign tourist spending increased from the pre-pandemic average of around US$1,200 to around US$3,000.
“This is because there is a quarantine period. Russia is one of the highest in spending. And if the number of tourists is multiplied by spending, then of course the foreign exchange is large,” said Nia.
BPS data for 2021 shows that the largest expenses for foreign tourists will be for accommodation, then food and drink, then shopping.
