Tourism Village program boosts tourism activity, economy: minister

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana highlighted that the Tourism Village program has yielded positive results, both in developing local villages and boosting tourism activity and the economy.

Tourism villages are villages that have tourist attraction potential, developed and managed by the local village communities.

"The tourism village development program is implemented through targeted, gradual interventions tailored to the development level of each village. This ensures they can grow sustainably and achieve independence," she said during a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Wardhana explained that in terms of development scope, the number of tourism villages registered on the Tourism Village Network (JADESTA) platform rose from 6,148 villages in 2023 to 6,262 in 2024, marking a 1.85 percent growth.

Furthermore, visits from foreign and domestic tourists have continued to grow across the 50 tourism villages that received the 2024 Indonesian Tourism Village Awards.

From 2022 to 2023, tourist arrivals grew 14.93 percent, followed by a further 44.81 percent growth in 2024, bringing the total to over 2.3 million visits in 2024.

This surge in tourism activity has also driven economic growth for local communities.

Tourism revenues across these 50 tourism villages rose from Rp38.48 billion (approximately US$2.16 million) in 2023 to Rp46.05 billion in 2024—a 19.67 percent increase.

The revenue then climbed again to Rp59.60 billion in 2025, marking a 29.41 percent year-on-year growth.

Given these tangible impacts, the minister emphasized that a budget increase is not merely an institutional need, but rather a vital investment to boost Indonesia's tourism competitiveness in the region.

On that occasion, she expressed appreciation and underscored the importance of support and synergy among all parties to realize quality and sustainable tourism in Indonesia.

"We hope that the synergy between the government and the DPR can be further strengthened to foster high-quality, sustainable, and increasingly competitive Indonesian tourism," the minister remarked.

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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji

Editor: Azis Kurmala

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