Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s government has targeted to create 4.4 million jobs in the tourism sector by 2024, according to the country’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno.

“We hope that the labour absorption can improve the community’s welfare,” Uno was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

According to him, the tourism workers’ absorption has a significant impact on increasing people’s economic income and employment opportunities up to six times.

The ministry aims to generate 1.2 million jobs in the tourism sector and enhance the community’s welfare through various innovations and policies as well as by involving stakeholders, Uno added.

The ministry is organising the Indonesian Tourism Village Award which seeks the 50 best tourism villages in the country, he said, adding that it intends to encourage local activity and help revive tourist attractions that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The official also expressed his optimism that tourist destinations will succeed in luring visitors and contribute to the community’s welfare.

Indonesia welcomed 1.73 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2022, a sharp increase from 81,292 arrivals in the same period last year.

In August 2022 alone, the country received 510,250 foreign travelers, up 6.98% month-on-month and 46% year-on-year. However, the figures were still significantly less than the same period of pre-pandemic in 2019, when Indonesia recorded about 8 million foreign visitors.

Indonesia’s tourism recovery is likely to face stronger headwinds as foreign tourists limit spending in the face of a global recession, experts said.

Speaking to the press on October 3, Uno said that a decline in global economic growth will affect Indonesia‘s tourism sector, but the country can overcome difficulties thanks to domestic tourists./.