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Malaysia Sun
01-07-2025
- Business
- Malaysia Sun
Indonesia sees 14 pct surge in foreign tourist arrivals in May 2025
JAKARTA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia recorded a sharp increase of 14.01 percent year-on-year in foreign tourist arrivals, reaching a total of 1.31 million visits in May 2025, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) announced on Tuesday. "Most foreign tourists came from Malaysia at 18.26 percent, followed by Australia at 11.31 percent and Singapore at 9.68 percent," said Pudji Ismartini, deputy for distribution and services statistics at BPS, during a press conference. The main entry point for foreign tourists in May was I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, primarily visited by travelers from Australia, India, and China, partly driven by events such as the Bali Spirit Festival and the Bali Training Ultra trail run. Other major entry points included Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Hang Nadim Airport in Batam, Juanda Airport in Surabaya, and Kualanamu Airport in North Sumatra. In contrast, domestic tourist trips in May climbed by 17.81 percent year-on-year to 97.67 million trips. Cumulatively, from January to May, foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia reached 5.63 million, up 7.44 percent compared to the same period last year, while domestic tourist trips in the same period totaled 508.67 million, an increase of 16.13 percent year-on-year.
The Star
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Roundup: Indonesian durian eyes China's massive market potential
JAKARTA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- After an agreement last month between Indonesia and China regarding the export protocol for frozen durian, Indonesia's authentic durian now has the opportunity to expand its market to China. "Indonesian durian has a great opportunity in the Chinese market, depending on how we can produce durian that can compete with durian from other countries," Eliza Mardian, a researcher at the Center of Reform on Economics Indonesia, told Xinhua on Tuesday. China is the world's largest durian consumer. However, Indonesia has barely participated in the booming Chinese durian market. According to data from Statistics Indonesia, out of nearly 2 million tons of Indonesian durian produced last year, only 27 tons were exported to China. In fact, from January to May 2025, no durian was exported to China, leaving Indonesia far behind Thailand and Vietnam. Eliza said that the main obstacles to exporting durian from Indonesia to China were logistics and licensing issues. The long distance means that delivering fresh durian from Indonesia takes longer than from Thailand, which affects its quality. However, now that Indonesia and China have signed the export protocol agreement, licensing will no longer pose a major hurdle. Under this protocol, the Indonesian Quarantine Agency becomes a trusted regulator recognized by Chinese authorities to ensure the food safety of frozen durian products to be exported to China. Eliza encouraged the Indonesian government to provide various forms of support to farmers, including broad dissemination of export requirements, facilitation of plant health certification or phytosanitary measures, access to capital, and the development of logistics networks and adequate infrastructure, such as frozen storage warehouses. The China-Indonesia durian export protocol agreement has also been warmly welcomed by local governments and industry players in Central Sulawesi Province, where durian is one of the region's key agricultural commodities. As the main durian-producing area in the province, Parigi Moutong Regency currently has over 1,100 hectares of durian plantations with more than 110,000 trees, according to the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The regency also boasts 16 durian packaging houses that meet international standards, underscoring its readiness to enter the export market. Governor of Central Sulawesi, Anwar Hafid, expressed his strong commitment to developing the local durian industry during a focus group discussion on June 4 about durian exports to China. He noted that the province is determined to harness its durian production potential to penetrate the Chinese market more seriously.
Malaysia Sun
20-06-2025
- Business
- Malaysia Sun
Roundup: Indonesia ramps up global tourism promotion to attract more int'l tourists
JAKARTA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is strengthening its promotional efforts to tap into the growing global tourist market, as the Southeast Asian archipelago continues to struggle to catch up with neighboring countries in attracting international visitors. Last year, Indonesia received around 14 million foreign tourists, while Singapore welcomed 16.5 million, Malaysia 25 million, Vietnam 17.6 million, and Thailand 35.5 million. According to data from Statistics Indonesia, the majority of foreign tourists in 2024 came from Malaysia, followed by Australia, Singapore, China, and Timor-Leste. This year, the country is targeting 14 to 16 million foreign tourist arrivals to boost foreign exchange and encourage economic growth through the tourism sector. Several popular tourist destinations in Indonesia, including the island resort of Bali, the Borobudur Temple in Central Java, and Raja Ampat in the easternmost region of Papua, all offer stunning views. Meanwhile, some of the leading entry points for foreign tourists to Indonesia are Batam in the Riau Islands Province, located near Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Bali and Jakarta. In a bid to increase the global competitiveness of Indonesian tourism, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said recently that the government is committed to further strengthening its promotional efforts in international markets. Moreover, the ministry has undertaken several diplomatic initiatives to boost the country's tourism industry. Late last month, Indonesia's Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation. "The MoU is expected to increase the exchange of visits between the two countries, specifically through facilitating promotional activities carried out by the government and business actors," Wardhana said last week at the ministry. She added that advancing the Indonesian tourism industry requires a strong spirit of collaboration and collective commitment among ministries, institutions, and friendly countries, with the hope that tourism can become an economic and social force that benefits the entire community. Indonesia also held bilateral meetings with several countries during the 123rd session of the UN Tourism Executive Council, which took place in Spain late last month. The ministry discussed collaboration opportunities with several nations, including Spain, India, Mexico, and Tunisia, during the forum. "We will continue to move forward with the principles of sustainability, inclusiveness, and global competitiveness, while ensuring that the growth of this sector aligns with efforts to preserve culture and the environment," she added.
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Indonesia books preliminary $4.9 bln trade surplus in May, finance minister says
JAKARTA, June 17 (Reuters) - Indonesia posted a trade surplus of $4.9 billion in May based on preliminary customs data, the finance minister said on Tuesday, which would be the country's biggest monthly surplus in more than two years. Exports from the resource-rich country reached $25.3 billion, while imports were $20.4 billion, Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a press conference. Statistics Indonesia is due to release final data on July 1. If the figures don't change, the May surplus would be the widest since February 2023, based on LSEG data. April's surplus was $160 million. Sri Mulyani said while the trade figures looked good, trade tensions and slowing global growth have influenced exports and would also affect growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Strong growth was seen in May exports of agricultural products and manufactured goods, but there was also a steep drop in shipments of mining products, which hurt government revenues, Sri Mulyani said. Indonesia ran a budget deficit of 21 trillion rupiah ($1.29 billion) in the first five months of 2025, equal to 0.09% of GDP, the ministry data showed. Revenues in the January-May period reached 995.3 trillion rupiah, while total spending stood at 1,016.3 trillion rupiah. That compares with a deficit of 0.1% of GDP in the same period of 2024, with revenues at 1,123.5 trillion rupiah and spending at 1,145.3 trillion rupiah. ($1 = 16,275 rupiah)
The Star
15-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Editorial: Indonesia must avoid economic gunboat diplomacy
Don't panic: Even if time is running out, states must avoid premature concessions because US trade policy remains in flux, with legal challenges ongoing. — 123rf THE clock is ticking as a deadline nears for Indonesia to hash out a trade deal with the United States or risk punishing tariffs imposed on almost all Indo-nesian goods shipped to the world's largest economy. These are not your usual trade negotiations, where two or more countries come together as equals to reduce import tariffs on each other's export goods. Instead, Washington unilaterally imposed so-called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries and is now seeking concessions to lift them. There is no mutual aspect here, where both sides agree to open their markets for imports from the other, thereby unlocking the economic benefits of comparative advantage. The US aims to strong-arm Indonesia to import more from them even while they would import less from this country, and because that runs counter to economic logic, Washington is relying on tariffs to subdue market forces. The crude case the US has put forward to justify its policy is that trade partners export more to the US than they import from it. Indonesia has enjoyed a trade surplus with the rest of the world for several years running, and bilateral trade with the US accounts for a major chunk of that. Data published by Statistics Indonesia last week showed that the country's overall trade surplus shrank to almost zero in April, with a particularly stark drop in the surplus vis-à-vis the US. That could be a one-off, however, and it won't take the pressure off negotiators in talks with Washington. But the bigger question is why Indonesia should have to justify itself at all. If a country makes shoes and clothing and other products and offers them at prices appealing to US consumers, what is wrong with that? We are not forcing our products onto anyone. For Washington to just look at the bilateral trade balance and point to a US trade deficit as supposed evidence of unfair practices is overly simplistic and unfair. If the administration of US President Donald Trump wants to make a case against Indonesia, it is going to have to be more specific. Indeed it could, because we are certainly not beyond reproach when it comes to trade practices. Far from it. Washington could legitimately point to local content requirements and food import restrictions as the two most salient areas of Indonesian protectionism. On the other hand, we could point to the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act, the Build America, Buy America Act, and steel import tariffs as US protectionism. These, not the trade balance, are issues we should negotiate around, in good faith, with the aim to improve mutual market access. With one month to go until America's reciprocal tariffs are to enter into force, the US piled pressure on foreign negotiating teams last week by urging them to present their best offers. We must avoid premature concessions, because the US trade policy remains in flux, with legal challenges ongoing. South Korea's newly elected President Lee Jae-myung said last week his administration was in no rush to clinch a deal with Washington. That appears to be the smart way to go about it. Coordinating Indonesia's approach with Asean and other regional trade partners will maximise leverage. The tariff threat is part of Trump's negotiating tactics. No need to be intimidated by something as trivial as a ticking clock. — The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
