Minister Invites China to Invest in 10 Travel Spots aside Bali

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is inviting Chinese investors to invest in Indonesian tourism. The minister offers 10 travel destinations outside Bali, which is quite a popular travel spot for Chinese tourists.

The ten destinations include Lake Toba, which requires an investment of US$1.6 billion, Tanjung Lesung (US$4 billion), The Thousand Islands and Jakarta (US$1.5 billion), Borobudur (US$1.5 billion), Bromo-Tengger-Semeru (US$1.4 billion), Wakatobi (US$1.5 billion) and others.

"I believe China should enter Indonesia," he told reporters in Beijing Tuesday, January 23, on the sidelines of the "Bali is Safe" campaign in the China capital.

Read: Bali's Target for Tourist Arrivals Set 1 Million Higher in 2018

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He said that in 2016 China only invested US$6.22 billion in Indonesia, placing it at the 16th position among other countries.

However, in 2017 that number surged to US$318 billion, placing China as the second biggest investor in Indonesia after Singapore with US$385 billion.

"This year, we believe China will be Indonesia's biggest investor," he said.

China is the biggest contributor to foreign tourist arrival to Indonesia—especially to Bali—in the last few years. 

For 2018, the Tourism Ministry is targeting to have three million tourists from China to visit Indonesia, in conjunction with the Asian Games hosted by Jakarta and Palembang. By 2019, the government is projecting 10 million visits to the 10 priority destinations. 

Antara