Jakarta: Indonesia is stepping up efforts to position itself as ASEAN's leading business events hub, leveraging its rapidly growing meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) industry to drive investment, high-value tourism, and economic growth. According to Nam News Network, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said the MICE industry has evolved beyond conferences and exhibitions into a key driver of investment, innovation, knowledge transfer, and value creation across multiple sectors. She noted that the sector was among the largest segments of the global event management industry, accounting for about 30.75 percent of industry revenue in 2024, with its market value estimated at nearly US$1.2 trillion (US$1=RM4.08). "We hope that Indonesia will strengthen its role as a hub for business events in the ASEAN region while driving the growth of high-quality, sustainable, and high-added-value tourism," she said at the Southeast Asia Business Events Forum (SEABEF) 2026 on Thursday, according to a ministry statement. SEABEF 2026 is held alongside the Indonesia Business Event Mart (IBEM) 2026, from July 28 to 31. The two events are expected to strengthen industry partnerships and advance Indonesia's ambition to become a regional business events hub. Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said Indonesia welcomed 1.38 million international visitors in May and recorded about 106 million domestic tourist trips, with both figures posting year-on-year growth. He highlighted that the accommodation and food and beverage sector, a key component of Indonesia's tourism industry, expanded by 13.14 percent in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the sector's strong momentum. "This strong foundation positions Indonesia to become a global MICE hub, particularly as the market continues to shift toward the growing trend of business and leisure travel, or bleisure," he said. Airlangga added that Indonesia could further strengthen its competitiveness by integrating business event s with leisure experiences at destinations such as Borobudur, Prambanan, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Komodo National Park, and Lake Toba. He emphasized that improving connectivity, harnessing artificial intelligence (AI), expanding tourism infrastructure, and strengthening collaboration among ministries and agencies would further support the country's ambition to become a leading regional MICE destination.
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