Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expected tourism promotional events featured in the annual national agenda Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) this year to rope in more domestic and international tourists to enjoy tourist attractions in Indonesia.
"I hope that events included in KEN will serve as magnets that attract both domestic and foreign tourists," he said in his virtual opening remarks during the launch of KEN 2024 in Jakarta on Saturday (January 27).
Jokowi noted that this year, KEN will feature 110 tourism events that display the beauty of Indonesia's tourism destinations and promote the nation's cultural appeal.
The president then expressed hope that as a strategic program devised by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, KEN would not only highlight Indonesia's natural beauty but also the country's cultural wealth.
On the same occasion, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno remarked that the 110 events featured in this year's KEN are expected to help the government achieve the target of 1.25-1.5 billion movements of domestic tourists in 2024.
"We hope that KEN will help us achieve the target of creating 4.4 million job opportunities, increase economic transactions by 20-25 percent, and realize the target of 1.25-1.5 billion movements involving domestic tourists," he stated.
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Uno then expressed hope that KEN 2024 would attract as many as 10 million visitors, exceeding the total number of visitors in the program's last year edition at 7.36 million.
The minister noted that he would take various measures for realizing even tourist visits to all events featured in 2024, including by making the most of digital media. He also ensured the quality of the 110 events, as his ministry had initially established a curating team of experts to tightly select a total of 252 events proposed by provincial tourism offices.
