Indonesia pushes tourism partnerships at Travel Meet Asia 2026

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana has called for stronger collaboration and strategic partnerships among regional tourism stakeholders through Travel Meet Asia 2026, held in Jakarta on June 23-24.

During the opening ceremony of Travel Meet Asia 2026 in Jakarta on Tuesday, Widiyanti said the tourism sector plays an important role in connecting communities, business players, and countries amid a rapidly changing global landscape.

"This event is more than just a marketplace, but a platform to build partnerships, exchange ideas, and shape the future of tourism in our region and beyond," Widiyanti said, as cited from the Tourism Ministry statement on Wednesday.

Travel Meet Asia 2026 is an international business-to-business (B2B) tourism marketplace organized by Messe Berlin Asia Pacific with the support of ITB Asia and the Association of the Indonesian Tours (ASITA).

The event brings together travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, airlines, and various tourism stakeholders to explore cooperation opportunities and expand market access.

The 2026 Travel Meet Asia is attended by around 1,500 participants, 500 buyers, 100 exhibitors from 16 countries, and 60 speakers.

The Minister said the global tourism sector continues to show growth. Based on UN Tourism data, international tourist arrivals reached 1.52 billion in 2025, up 4 percent from the previous year.

Meanwhile, Indonesia recorded a 10.8 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, higher than the global average.

During the same period, the tourism sector generated US$18.27 billion in foreign exchange earnings and absorbed 25.9 million workers.

According to Widiyanti, tourism is also an inclusive sector as it involves broad community participation, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women, and young people.

She said Indonesia has vast opportunities to develop investment and partnerships across various tourism segments, such as gastronomy, wellness, marine tourism, culture, adventure, and meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE).

"The diversity creates significant potential, not only for investment opportunities in tourism infrastructure and services, but also for the development of innovative and high-value tourism products and travel packages that align with global trends and evolving market demand," Widiyanti said.

The government, says Widiyanti, is committed to realizing quality tourism through various programs outlined in the 2025-2029 National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMN), including destination development and the strengthening of the tourism ecosystem.

One of the efforts is the establishment of the 10 tourism special economic zones (SEZs) to attract investment and encourage business activities in the sector.

She emphasized that sustainable tourism development requires synergy among various parties, including the government, business players, local communities, investors, and international partners.

"No government, business, or organization can unlock tourism's full potential on its own. Success depends on strong partnerships among the public sector, private sector, local communities, industry players, investors, and international partners," she said.

She hopes the TMA 2026 will continue to grow as one of the leading tourism business collaboration platforms in Asia while strengthening the competitiveness of the regional tourism sector.

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Translator: Bayu Prasetyo

Editor: Azis Kurmala

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