Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism has expanded cooperation with the United States-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) to develop and advance national tourism."I hope that our discussion today will inspire both sides to take concrete actions, strengthen our partnership, and provide sustainable benefits to achieve common goals," Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said here on Wednesday.
It is expected that the cooperation will foster good partnerships and generate inclusive benefits for local communities and industries, she added. At a meeting with the US-ABC delegation, Wardhana emphasized that Indonesia is committed to developing sustainable tourism, as stated in the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).
The Indonesian Government, she added, has a vision to develop the tourism industry not only to provide significant economic and social benefits, but also to preserve the environment and cultural heritage.
During the meeting, Minister Wardhana also highlighted a number of programs related to the development of sustainable and quality tourism in Indonesia and their achievements so far.
The tourism development programs in Indonesia include implementing carbon footprint calculator and offsetting, making a decarbonization road map, and establishing the blue-green circular economy road map.
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"We are also carrying out sustainable tourism certification, designing and implementing sustainable tourism policies, and conducting campaigns to support sustainability," she added.
Furthermore, she said that the government is running quick-win programs, which include intensifying the "Proud to Travel in Indonesia" campaign and modernizing Indonesia's tourism marketing.
The government is also seeking to reduce the prices of airline tickets and improve the quality of human resources in the tourism sector.
The tourism sector is expected to contribute five percent to the national gross domestic product (GDP) by 2029 and bring in USD32 billion in foreign exchange.
