TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that the tourism sector had contributed 4.23 percent to Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP). The number exceeds the four percent target set by the government. As for labor absorption, the sector managed to absorb 12.16 million laborers from the intial target of 11.3 million.
"Overall, policies in the tourism development in 2015 were on track and we could achieve our targets," said Arief Yahya on Wednesday, December 30, 2015.
Arief estimated that Indonesia's tourism growth by the end of 2015 could reach 5.81 percent, which is higher compared to other ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia, which experienced negative growth of 9.43 percent from January to June 2015.
Singapore and Vietnam also suffered negative growth from January to October 2015 with 0.09 percent and 1.27 percent, respectively. Thailand, on the other hand, experienced 22.34 percent growth from January to November 2015.
"From our major tourist destinations compared with those in neighboring countries, we can see that Indonesia has a large tourism potential, but it hasn't been fully harnessed," said Arief.
LARISSA HUDA
