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INDONESIA’S Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno led “The 22nd APT Minister’s Meeting” in the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2023 which was held in Yogyakarta. On that occasion, Sandiaga expressed his appreciation for the cooperation that has been established among the countries in the ASEAN Plus Three and hopes that this ATF momentum will further strengthen collaboration in developing the tourism sector.
ASEAN Plus Three is a form of economic cooperation participated by all ASEAN member countries along with three countries in the Northeast Asia region, namely Japan, South Korea, and China.
“It is a great honor to welcome you all on this occasion. I would like to express my enthusiasm for ASEAN cooperation with three countries, seeing high growth opportunities after the pandemic,” Sandiaga Uno said in Yogyakarta on Saturday (02/4).
Sandiaga explained, to understand the current conditions, it is necessary to remember how big the impact of the pandemic is on the tourism sector. Therefore, it is important for all parties to move forward together while being careful.
“We can see the current recovery momentum, but for the Asia Pacific region we have not yet achieved the tourism performance achieved in 2019,” Sandiaga remarked.
Referring to the latest UNWTO data, he continued, 2021 was the time when international tourist trips fell 93%. But with hard work together, in 2022 the number can be cut to only 77%. This is certainly not enough; we must accelerate the pace. Not walking, but a very long marathon.
This meeting, Sandiaga continued, must be a momentum for countries in ASEAN Plus Three to strengthen collaboration and continue to work together. Emphasizing collaborative consensus to move forward in the ASEAN Plus Three tourism cooperation plan 2021-2025.
“I would like to hear more about interventions and comments from all member countries. We uphold the idea of collaboration where we all work together with collective and measurable actions to realize ASEAN as the epicenter of world economic growth. ASEAN is proud of the support for dialogue from our important partners, such as the Plus Three countries,” Sandiaga concluded. [traveltext.id]
