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PRESIDENT Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was named Father of Indonesian Tourism during a gala dinner to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI) recently.
PHRI Chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani bestowed the title on Jokowi at the Jakarta Convention Hall.
“The honorary title of Father of National Tourism was bestowed by PHRI on President Jokowi for his initiatives and commitment to tourism development since he was the mayor of Solo,” Sukamdani noted.
Infrastructure development projects, such as toll roads, 11 new airports, seaports, and power plants, constructed by President Jokowi across Indonesia, have directly affected the tourism sector, he pointed out.
“Owing to Jokowi’s policies, including on visa-free travel, the rise in tourist arrivals in Indonesia has surpassed the average increase in the regions,” he remarked.
During the Jokowi administration, the allocation of tourism budget has also increased, from Rp1.2 trillion in 2014, to Rp2.1 trillion in 2015; Rp3.3 trillion in 2016; Rp3.2 trillion in 2017; Rp3.4 trillion in 2018; and Rp3.8 trillion in 2019.
The increase in investment in hotel and restaurant development has reached 78.6 percent as of the first semester of 2018. He also pointed to the country`s security and stability situation being good under the administration of Jokowi. [antaranews/traveltext.id]
