Indonesian Tourism Goes Digital, Partners With Thailand
MPD records data 24 hours a day and has been tested in several countries in Europe as well as in Indonesia.
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) says the system has a narrow margin of error and praises the accuracy of its data.
Another new tool that the Tourism Ministry has been using is an online travel agent akin to Airbnb, the popular US-based online room-renting service.
Airbnb has put the hotel industry in Indonesia under a lot of pressure, since it lists unregistered, often cheaper accommodation that can be booked easily online using a mobile app.
To compete with Airbnb and other online room-renting service sites, the Tourism Ministry has launched its own digital marketplace the ITX, or Indonesia Tourism Exchange, last year. ITX tries to accommodate all companies in the local tourism industry.
"You can find homestay villages in the ITX as well. We have at least 70,000 villages across the archipelago that haven't really been explored yet," Arief said.
Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said she was impressed by Indonesia's new digital tourism tools, saying that many tourists to Thailand are also young people who like to use mobile apps to book accommodation and trips during their travel.
"We will send our staff to Jakarta soon to learn about the new digital tools," she said.
The two ministers also agreed on other plans to boost tourism in Thailand and Indonesia, including opening a new flight route from Bangkok's Don Muang Airport or from any of Thailand's secondary cities to secondary cities in Indonesia. Solo in Central Java is promoted to be a destination of choice for this new program.
"We will follow this up with our carrier, Bangkok Airways," Wattanavrangkul said.
Arief said Thai Lion Air, a unit of Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air, is also interested in the plan to open a new route to Indonesia.
"We will definitely help to make sure the airport slots are available for more flights from Thailand to Indonesia," Arief said.
Wattanavrangkul will also push Phuket as a marine tourism destination to complete the "triangle initiative," connecting three popular tourist spots in three countries, Sabang (Indonesia), Langkawi (Malaysia) and Phuket (Thailand).
The ministers also agreed to do more promotion in Middle Eastern countries to try to fill empty seats on planes returning from Saudi Arabia after taking Indonesian Muslim pilgrims for the umrah (minor pilgrimage) or hajj (major pilgrimage).
Arief said more than 2 million Indonesians go to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East each year.
"Planes are often completely empty after dropping off hajj or umrah pilgrims. We can fill them in with tourists going for holidays to main tourism destinations in Thailand and Indonesia," Arief added.
Arief said Thailand is a great rival in the tourism industry for Indonesia. He praised Thailand's vibrant atmosphere and its well-maintained, integrated tourism ecosystem.
"We can learn a lot from Thailand. We have to admit we're lagging behind them in the tourism industry," Arief said.