… I would also like to emphasize that there are a number of problems, such as climate change, that we both face as island states.
BADUNG, Bali (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries is working with the Government of Fiji to develop a high-quality and sustainable tourism sector that can improve the economy and create job opportunities.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation was signed by Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Industries Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno with his Fiji counterpart Faiyaz Siddiq Koya on the sidelines of the second meeting of the G20 Working Group on Tourism (TWG) on Friday .
The TWG is one of the working groups being organized under the Sherpa Track to encourage G20 countries to accelerate international tourism recovery.
“It’s a big step as we can finally sign the MoU between the two countries that has been under discussion since 2014,” said the Indonesian minister.
On Friday, the two ministers discussed their crucial roles and responsibilities in working together and restoring the tourism sector and its resilience, sustainability, inclusion and security.
The signing of the MoU will promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, such as tourism promotion, tourism product development, private sector cooperation and human resource development.
The agreement will also boost research and development for tourism recovery and improve prosperity in both countries.
The two countries will also work together to create programs and activities to strengthen bilateral ties and promote exchanges of experts to give tourism stakeholders from both countries opportunities to work together.
According to the UN, the most important thing about the cooperation is to encourage the tourism sector in Indonesia to create more jobs. The contribution of tourism to the economy of Fiji is 40 percent, while in Indonesia the contribution of the sector is only about 4.3 percent.
“We believe that this cooperation can strengthen the economies of both countries, and I would also like to highlight that there are a number of issues, such as climate change, that we both face as archipelagic countries,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Koya said the challenges Indonesia and his country face as archipelagic countries in terms of tourism development are relatively similar.
“It is an important time for us to work closely together. This collaboration will continue to improve our relationship and is a great opportunity for us to share (our best practices),” he noted.
