Grace Gandhi, Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the value of investment in special economic zones (KEK) in the tourism sector is still sluggish due to a lack of investors.
"The ones that have not (many investors) are related to tourism. So the tourism ones, whether it is Tanjung Lesung, whether it is the one in Morotai or in North Sulawesi (Likupang)," said Airlangga when met at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base (Lanud), Jakarta on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
The condition of tourism KEKs, he said, is different from industrial KEKs such as in Batang in Central Java or in Kendal and Gresik in East Java. These three areas have recorded good development.
In fact, according to Airlangga, KEKs from the tourism sector have the potential to bring in foreign exchange quickly. Therefore, his party initiated the opening of regional airline lines as a follow-up to the lack of access that hampered investment progress from the region.
He said the opening of regional airplane lines made it possible for tourists to get directly to their destination. "Now, as an example, Mandalika and Labuan Bajo. If the disaster is over, we will try to encourage direct airplane access so that the door to attract tourists gets bigger," he said.
Airlangga considered this effort as a form of incentive to attract investors. Thus, for now, his party is focusing on opening regional airplane routes, especially in tourism sectors that still need investment injections.
"What we are still paying attention to is tourism, which is the most important. If there are no flights, how will tourists come? If he has to go to Jakarta first, from Jakarta, then to Mandalika, to Labuan Bajo. You have to go to Jakarta first. Then North Sulawesi will go back and forth. Pre-Covid used to have many direct flights from the region," said Airlangga.
Meanwhile, for the tenant investors themselves, Airlangga stated that each area currently has its tenant package.
Tenants in PT Kawasan Industri Terpadu Batang (KITB), for example, come from various countries such as China, South Korea, Chile, Thailand, the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Singapore, and of course, Indonesia. President Director of PT KITB Ngurah Wirawan conveyed this at the KITB complex, Central Java, on Sunday, December 15, 2024.
Based on his statement, KITB has passed the verification process to determine KEK status and will obtain KEK status in three sectors at once, namely industrial and processing KEKs, logistics and transportation, and tourism. However, he is still waiting to issue a government regulation signed by President Prabowo Subianto regarding the status of KEKs designated as National Strategic Projects (PSN).
– Eka Yudha Saputra and Hammam Izzuddin contributed to this article.