Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and the Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, speaking in Jakarta on Tuesday, 15 August 2023, at the Indonesian Retail Summit, expressed the opinion that Indonesia would manage to welcome 10 million foreign tourists for the entire year of 2023. If the 10 million tourist figure is achieved, it will surpass the current target of 8.5 million by around 20%, reaching 10 million by the end of the year.
On the same occasion, Sandiaga said there are several cities in Indonesia with the potential to be developed as shopping destinations for foreign tourists. In addition to Jakarta and Bali, cities such as Surabaya, Solo, Batam, and Medan, which serve as gateways for foreign tourists, are also destinations that offer excellent shopping opportunities.
The development of shopping tourism in Indonesia is an attractive travel product for domestic and international tourists. Indonesia is targeting between 1.2 and 1.4 billion domestic holiday journeys for 2023.
Continuing, Sandiaga continued, saying: “Many of the 1.2-1.4 billion domestic travel journeys are very driven by shopping. So, I ask everyone to promote (shopping tourism). Use social media because the added value to the creative economy (of shopping tourism) is Rp. 1.3 trillion, with 45 million jobs linked to the sector highly dependent on travel and economic mobility.
Elaborating on his hopes regarding the shopping habits of those involved in shopping tourism, Sandiaga said he doesn’t want shopping tourists who are only window-shopping but travelers who are also persuaded to purchase products and services. The Minister said that by participating in modern retail activities (i.e., fixed-price shopping), price negation and bargaining opportunities would be minimalized.
In closing, the Minister said that some 3,000 events planned for the rest of the year will also help fuel the national economy and attract more visitors to Indonesia.
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