The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, revealed that the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry has been a key pillar of Indonesia's tourism and creative economy sector for the past three years. During the "MICE to Meet You" event at the Black Stone Yacht Beach Club Marina Benoa, Bali, on Monday (02/09/2024), Sandiaga attributed this success to Indonesia hosting several prestigious global events. These include the G20 Summit, ASEAN Chairmanship, the 2024 World Water Forum, the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE), the High-Level Forum on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (HLF-MSP) 2024, and the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) in 2024. He expressed gratitude for the collective efforts that have led to Bali's faster-than-expected recovery, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, with the MICE industry being a cornerstone for three consecutive years.
Sandiaga highlighted that international arrivals at key entry points have shown a consistent increase of 15% to 20%. According to BPS data, Indonesia welcomed 7.7 million international tourists, with 45% arriving in Bali, indicating a strong and stable tourism sector well beyond pre-pandemic figures. Indonesia's MICE industry ranks fourth in Southeast Asia, with Bali remaining a top MICE destination and among the top three incentive travel destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the government, along with Bali's local authorities, continues to address challenges such as the distribution of tourists across North, East, and West Bali to ensure balanced regional development and avoid overtourism in South Bali. Sandiaga emphasized the importance of improving accessibility, particularly road infrastructure, and proposed short, medium, and long-term strategies, including fast boat services, toll road construction, and potentially a new airport to enhance connectivity across Bali.
