Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, recently went on a overseas roadshow to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to offer investment opportunities in Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy sectors.
On January 5, 2024, Sandiaga held a meeting with Abdullah Lahej, Chairman of Ayana Holding, on Friday, January 5, 2024, to make an offer for the UAE holding company to invest Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy industries.
The meeting was part of Sandiaga’s efforts to attract foreign investors and stimulate economic recovery, by creating job opportunities for the Indonesian population.
Abdullah Lahej and his company are known for developing iconic landmarks in Dubai, including Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, Business Bay, and Arabian Ranches. Ayana Holding, based in Dubai, is internationally recognized and operates across diverse industries.
“We invite Ayana Holding to invest in Indonesia and share insights on building Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and various tourist destinations in our country,” said Sandiaga on Saturday.
Sandiaga extended an invitation to Abdullah Lahej to visit Jembrana, Bali, which is being developed into a new economic center on the Island of the Gods.
He assured Lahej of facilitating investment processes in Indonesia. In response, Lahej expressed enthusiasm about visiting Bali and welcomed the investment opportunity.
The positive response and a handshake marked the end of the meeting between Sandiaga and Ayana Holding executives. Sandiaga was also scheduled to meet with Awad Bin Mohammad Bin Sheikh Mugrin, Director General of Dubai Travellers Festival, and Dr. Adil Alzarooni of the Al Zarooni Emirates Investments.
Sandiaga presented various investment opportunities, including those in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), super-priority tourist destinations, and Indonesia’s new capital city.
Sandiaga highlighted the promising nature of these investment opportunities, considering the increasing number of tourists from the UAE visiting Indonesia.
Previously, several Indonesian officials have actively sought investment opportunities in the UAE. Perry Warjiyo, the Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI), attended the Indonesia Investment Forum Dubai (IIFD) in 2023.
In addition, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) has endeavored to find new investors for PT Bank Syariah Indonesia in Dubai, targeting potential investors.
Also last year, President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo participated in the Indonesia Investment Forum Dubai (IIFD), focusing on attracting investors for infrastructure projects, particularly in the new capital city (IKN) development.
These efforts underline Indonesia’s commitment to expanding economic ties and attracting foreign investments, with a particular focus on collaboration with investors from the UAE.
