TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno and Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia established a team to seek investors in order to boost investment in the country. The team formation was discussed in their second meeting held at the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) office, South Jakarta, Monday, May 17.

“Pak Minister (Bahlil) says the formation of the new task force which has just been signed by the President on May 4, 2021, needs to involve MSME entrepreneurs in investment projects, including tourism and the creative economy. We will guard this,” Sandiaga said in his statement on Monday, May 17.

Sandiaga hoped that the performance of the tourism and the creative economy sector could grow after the Covid-19 pandemic ended. He targeted the tourism sector's contribution to the investment to increase to 5-7 percent of the total realization of the national investment.

The growth in investment performance was predicted to open up new jobs, thus reducing the unemployment rate. During the pandemic crisis in 2020, the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry recorded that the number of tourism workers dropped from 14.96 million to 13.96 million.

Bahlil Lahadalia, meanwhile, said the meeting with Sandiaga was an important moment as they both planned to form an investor-seeking team to restore the industry while pursuing tourism investment targets.

“We have agreed on licensing, concepts, and incentives issues. So we will create a small team,” he added, explaining that the team would travel to countries to open up investment opportunities. However, Bahlil stopped short of detailing the names.

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FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA