Indonesia, together with China, South Korea and Japan, has successfully secured a seat on the UNWTO Executive Council for the 2023-2027 term, representing the dynamic East Asia and Pacific region. This remarkable achievement paves the way for Indonesia to actively contribute to the success of the UNWTO General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in October 2023.
This was announced last Friday (15/6) during the 55th session of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP) in Cambodia. During the meeting, Indonesia received the most votes to win one of the four seats on the Executive Council. With a total of 16 votes received, Indonesia managed to beat five other candidates, making it the highest vote-getter among the 19 CAP member countries eligible to vote.
As the representative of the East Asia and Pacific Commission, Indonesia has an important responsibility in shaping UNWTO programmes in the Asia-Pacific region that will be presented to the General Assembly. The UNWTO Executive Council meets at least twice a year to promote tourism recovery with common goals and a shared vision for the sector.
Prior to being elected as a member of the Executive Council for the period 2023-2027, Indonesia served as a member of the Executive Council (2011-2015) and as Chair of the Executive Council (2013-2014). Through its involvement in UNWTO, Indonesia can promote sustainable tourism and cultural preservation, and share its experiences and best practices with other members.
Through the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment to promote the growth of the tourism sector in the East Asia, ASEAN and Pacific regions. Its focus is on sustainable tourism development, human resource enhancement, digital adaptation and tourism transformation.
As a member of the G20, Indonesia also has a strong determination to become a bridge that connects perspectives and goals between developed and developing countries in the tourism sector, with the hope of providing benefits to both parties in a balanced manner.
Not only that, Indonesia has also taken a step forward by becoming a member of the "Redesigning Tourism for the Future" Task Force. Through this initiative, Indonesia hopes to create a new concept of tourism and have a positive impact on the global and local tourism sectors.
For more information, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
UNWTO also promotes the implementation of the Global Code of Conduct for Tourism, which serves as a guide for various stakeholders in the tourism sector to promote and develop tourism with the aim of contributing to economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people without discrimination based on race, sex, language or religion.
