Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana stressed that Indonesia is not just Bali, it has numerous top destinations with vast tourist and investment potential, which are waiting for responsible and sustainable development efforts.
According to a press release cited in Jakarta, she made the statement during the Investor Roundtable 2026 in Bali, where she gathered input from investors, regional governments, associations, and tourism professionals to identify areas requiring government support and intervention.
Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, recorded 15.39 million international tourist arrivals in 2025, with Bali accounting for nearly seven million visits.
She further noted that the inflow of international tourists remains concentrated in several Bali regions, particularly Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu, and Ubud, indicating the need for more effective strategies to disperse tourism investment nationwide.
To address the imbalance, the ministry continues promoting 13 special tourism destinations, positioning them as future centers of economic growth capable of creating jobs and improving public welfare more evenly across the country.
Wardhana said the initiative is designed to help Indonesia capitalize on growing global demand for sustainable, wellness-oriented, and authentic tourism experiences.
The ministry also outlined plans to develop a verification system based on an application programming interface (API) to ensure that all accommodation services offered on digital platforms comply with permit requirements.
For decades, Indonesia’s tourism industry has struggled with overcrowding in Bali while the tourism potential of thousands of other islands has remained largely untapped.
To address this, the country launched its ambitious “10 New Balis” initiative in 2016, focusing on priority destinations such as Lake Toba, Borobudur, Labuan Bajo and Raja Ampat.
Widiyanti’s continued commitment to the strategy underscores Indonesia’s determination to use tourism as a driver of economic growth in remote regions.
It also reflects the country’s broader shift from mass tourism toward higher-quality and environmentally-friendly tourism that aligns with the increasingly stringent expectations of the post-Covid pandemic international travel market.
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