The Tourism Ministry aims to boost international arrivals by deepening industry collaboration at a two-day business matching event in Johor Bahru. The initiative targets Malaysia and Singapore—two of Indonesia’s most important regional markets
Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is intensifying its outreach to neighbouring markets through the “Wonderful Indonesia Business Matching Johor Bahru 2025,” held on 5–6 November. The two-day forum is part of a broader strategy to attract more Malaysian and Singaporean visitors while strengthening regional partnerships within the tourism industry.
Ni Made Ayu Marthini, the ministry’s Deputy for Marketing, expressed confidence that the initiative would generate meaningful results for the sector. “We are optimistic this initiative will boost international arrivals to Indonesia while strengthening regional tourism industry ties,” she said.
According to a press statement confirmed in Jakarta on Friday, the event brought together 24 Indonesian tourism representatives with 32 buyers from Malaysia and 23 from Singapore. Participants ranged from travel agents and tour operators to hotel representatives and destination management companies, establishing a direct platform for business negotiations and partnership building.
Beyond promoting Indonesia’s destinations and tourism products, the business matching served as a concrete forum for collaboration. Industry players were encouraged to explore joint marketing programmes, new tour package development, and long-term cooperation to enhance Southeast Asia’s intra-regional tourism flows.
Johor Bahru, selected as the event venue, plays a strategic role in this outreach. Its proximity to Indonesia and its function as a gateway between Malaysia and Singapore make it an ideal location for expanding market access. The city’s connectivity and high volume of cross-border movement provide opportunities for Indonesia to tap into both Malaysian and Singaporean traveller segments simultaneously.
The ministry outlined several key objectives for the programme: strengthening business networks, promoting Indonesia’s leading destinations, showcasing new tourism products, and maintaining Indonesia’s competitive position within the region. With travel trends shifting towards short-haul holidays and experiential tourism, Indonesia aims to offer a diverse range of products that cater to evolving consumer interests.
In 2024, Indonesia welcomed approximately 2.2 million tourists from Malaysia and 1.4 million from Singapore. These two countries remain vital pillars of the national tourism market, not only due to their geographical closeness but also their strong cultural links and robust travel demand. With the strong market potential and convenient flight and sea connectivity, the ministry expects business matching events such as this to trigger further growth in visitor arrivals.
“We hope this forum provides a tangible space for industry players to explore new business collaborations. Such synergy is expected to spark innovation in travel products and packages that appeal to Malaysian and Singaporean travellers,” Made added.
Indonesia’s Consul General in Johor Bahru, Sigit Suryantoro Widiyanto, underscored the event’s relevance within broader bilateral relations. He highlighted that tourism is a key element of the “Jiran Istimewa” (Special Neighbour) programme, which aims to strengthen economic, social, and cultural cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia.
“This event reflects the spirit of Jiran Istimewa, strengthening cross-border connectivity and people-to-people links through the tourism sector,” Sigit said.
The ministry hopes that the combination of promotion, networking, and collaboration will reinforce Indonesia’s presence in two of its most important regional markets. The initiative also aligns with efforts by local governments across Indonesia to target the Malaysian and Singaporean markets more aggressively.
For instance, the West Nusa Tenggara provincial government and the Regional Tourism Promotion Agency (BPPD) are focusing on these two ASEAN countries, along with Australia, as primary markets to boost visitor arrivals to Lombok and surrounding destinations.
As Southeast Asia’s tourism landscape becomes increasingly competitive, Indonesia aims to sustain momentum by creating stronger industry linkages, offering more compelling travel products, and reinforcing its image as a diverse and accessible tourism destination for its closest neighbours.
Source: Antaranews
