Visitors to a relic site in Indonesia (Photo: indonesia.travel)

The Indonesian government has decided to allow 100 percent foreign investments to its tourism sector as long as they team up with at least one local partner.

 

Announcing the decision on April 28, Firmansyah Rahim, who heads the Department for Tourism Destination Development of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said his country boasts a diversity of untouched tourism destinations that need investors to tap their potentials.

 

This is the reason behind the Ministry of Tourism’s move to push investments through various programmes and incentives, including raising foreign ownership cap, which is expected to create more jobs, improve social welfares and support economic growths of localities, he said.

 

In addition to enjoying the Government’s programmes, the tourism sector has also benefited from the trend of “green tourism” and “green lifestyle” in the community to support local bio-diversity.

 

A survey conducted in late 2013 by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), foreign investment to the hospitability industry accounted for 44.9 percent of Indonesia’s total foreign investment.

 

The country is emerging as the most prospective destination to investors within the next three year period. It is followed by India, Thailand, China and Vietnam.

 

It is valued as the most potential location for hotel investments in the Asia-Pacific./.

VNA