TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi has opened opportunities to give discounts of up to 30 percent to both domestic and foreign tourists as part of the government’s efforts to revive the country’s weakened tourism sector following the coronavirus outbreak.

“We are still mulling over this possibility this afternoon, to give incentive discounts of 30 percent of the real tariffs. We will decide on this later. It has not been agreed on yet,” Jokowi said when opening a limited meeting at the Presidential Office on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta, Monday, February 17, 2020.

Jokowi said the government was presently keeping a close watch on developments in the tourism sector while deciding which tourist destinations that the discounts would be applied to.

He added that, aside from tourists, the discounts could also be given to organizers. “The discounts for travel agencies could be larger, 50 percent, for example, so we can truly revitalize our tourism sector, because now we have this coronavirus issue,” Jokowi said.

Prior to the meeting, Jokowi summoned Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo to a closed meeting that lasted for over two hours. The President said the results of the meeting would also become the basis of discussions on the planned discounts.

Reporter: Egi Adyatama | Translator: Galuh Kurnia Ramadhani (Intern Translator)