Several investors from the United States, including well-known names such as Marriott Group, MasterCard, and other major US companies, have expressed their interest in developing green tourism projects in Indonesia.
One of the key factors that have attracted these companies is the Indonesian government’s commitment to implementing environmentally friendly green tourism.
Their investment focus lies in the development of environmentally friendly hotels, such as the use of renewable energy sources, waste management, and more efficient water use.
Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, has set a target for these US investors to contribute investments worth US$ 6 billion or approximately IDR 95 trillion to the Indonesian tourism sector.
Sandiaga has aimed to achieve this investment target within the next three to five years or possibly even sooner.
He made this announcement during the AmCham Indonesia 11th US-Indo Investment Summit 2023, titled “Mapping the Legacy, Navigating the Future,” held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
“We can lead them (the investors) to be 15-20% above the government’s targets,” Sandiaga added.
Previously, Minister Sandiaga had secured agreements for the development of two to three hotels with a total investment of US$ 500-700 million in the capital, known as the National Capital Territory (IKN). Furthermore, agreements have been reached for the construction of a Tourism Resort in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara.
Construction of these facilities is expected to commence by the end of 2023 and will be managed by American-based companies, including Marriott International Group and The Ritz-Carlton.
Sandiaga is optimistic that investments in green tourism will reach the targeted figure and have a positive impact on Indonesia, both socially and economically, as well as environmentally.
“These investments will create new job opportunities, boost economic growth, and enhance environmental quality through sustainable tourism,” he stated
According to the latest report by the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the hotel room occupancy rate in Indonesia stood at 52.46% in August 2023. While this rate had decreased by 2.17 percentage points from July 2023, it was 5.08 percentage points higher than the rate in August 2022, which was 47.38%.
Despite the fluctuations, the trend in hotel room occupancy in Indonesia has shown an overall increase over the past three years compared to the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
