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INDONESIA’S Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economic Agency officially opened the Baparekraf for Startup or (BEKUP) program in an effort to revive the tourism sector and creative economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to support the growth of digital startups in Indonesia to increase economic growth.
BEKUP is an annual program initiated by Tourism Ministry/Tourism & Creative Economy Board since 2016 and in 2021, it is planned to be held in 5 cities, namely, Jakarta, Malang, Manado, Pekanbaru and Yogyakarta. This time, the Ministry of Tourism is collaborating with Coworking Indonesia to build a sustainable digital ecosystem with the “BEKUP Academy & Mentor Training Program”.
According to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economy Agency Sandiaga Uno in his statement in Jakarta, Saturday (24/4) explained that the Ministry is opening the widest possible opportunity for startup players in Indonesia to learn and develop their business through digital innovation, so that together we can accelerate the recovery of the tourism sector and the country’s creative economy.
“The growth of digital startups in Indonesia continues to move rapidly and has become one of the driving forces for the rotation of the national economy during the pandemic,” he said.
Google and Temasek project Indonesia’s digital economy to become the largest in Southeast Asia, with a market value that will triple from US$40 billion in 2019 to US$124 billion in 2025. This opportunity encourages more investors to invest in Indonesian digital startups.
Meanwhile, Cento Ventures stated that Indonesia’s startup capital investment during the first semester of 2020 was the largest in Southeast Asia. It was noted that the share of capital invested reached 74%, followed by Singapore with 12%. Thailand and Vietnam at 5% each, Malaysia 3%, and the Philippines 2%.
BEKUP Academy Program is an incubation activity for the development of digital startups. This program is divided into three levels, namely Create, Accelerate, & Scale-Up. The BEKUP Mentor Training Program is intended for Startup Enthusiasts, Startup Founders, Practitioners, & Experts to develop skills so they can become mainstay mentors for startup development. Later all selection, boot camp, and mentoring activities will be carried out online.
Meanwhile, President of Coworking Indonesia, Faye Alund added, Coworking Indonesia, which has been established for 4 years, has experience guiding the business community and startups in Indonesia. His party has witnessed firsthand how Indonesian startups continue to striving and thriving even in the midst of a crisis.
“We believe that BEKUP can be a forum for startups by embracing and motivating them to continue working and innovating competitively, answering the challenges of the times. This is the spirit that we share with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy through BEKUP, where we believe that entrepreneurial and economic growth in Indonesia can be built through collaboration,” he concluded. [traveltext.id]
