Indonesia And China Establish Strategic Partnerships For Tourism Progress

JAKARTA - International collaboration is the key in encouraging the growth of the global tourism industry. One concrete step was taken by Indonesia and China, which officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in cooperation with the tourism sector to expand tourism exchange opportunities between countries.

The signing of the MoU coincided with the working visit of the Chinese Prime Minister, Li Qiang, to Indonesia from May 24 to 26, 2025. Indonesian Minister of Tourism, Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, welcomed this agreement as an important momentum for the promotion of tourism between the two countries.

"We are optimistic that this collaboration will open a wider route in introducing superior Indonesian destinations to the Chinese people, and vice versa," said Widiyanti in an official statement in Jakarta, Sunday.

The contents of the agreement include various fields, ranging from exchanging information on the tourism sector to collaboration opportunities between industry players and government agencies of the two countries. The goal is to strengthen connectivity, increase the flow of tourist visits, and expand promotional networks to global markets.

Some of the main points from the MoU include:

Increase access to information and cooperation between industry players to facilitate tourism promotion and marketing.

Pengdorong pertukaran wisatawan antar warga negara Indonesia dan China dengan mempermudah perjalanan dan membuka jalur destinasi baru.

A joint strategy in attracting tourists from a third country, so that the two countries can maximize the potential of the international market.

The establishment of tourism promotion offices in each country is to strengthen direct marketing efforts in a non-profit manner.

Data exchange and trends of tourism statistics, in order to understand market dynamics and tourist preferences more accurately.

This MoU also allows other forms of cooperation that are agreed in writing at a later date, in order to ensure the sustainability and optimal impact on their respective tourism industries.

Widiyanti also emphasized the importance of the education sector in this partnership. One of them is Mandarin language training provided by the Chinese Government for students at the Tourism Polytechnic under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism.

In terms of contribution, tourists from China are one of the highest contributors to foreign tourist visits to Indonesia. Throughout 2024, out of a total of 13.9 million foreign tourists visiting, 1.19 million of them came from China' up 52% compared to the previous year. This positive trend continued in the first quarter of 2025 with 279,040 visits, or grew 1.15% from the same period in 2024.

The Chinese government also conveyed plans to open an official tourism promotion office in Indonesia, which will reciprocally provide similar opportunities for Indonesia to open a representative office in China. This plan will be studied and further coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"This cooperation is expected to strengthen bilateral relations and make a significant contribution to economic growth through the tourism sector," concluded Widiyanti.