Türkiye and Indonesia have deeply rooted historical relations going back
to the 16th century. Not only historical memories are shared by these two
countries but also cultural and civilizational values that shape their
identities and traditions. Both countries are Muslim majority nations with a strong
commitment to democracy, pluralism, diversity and rule of law.
Türkiye and Indonesia have a lot to offer to international visitors
ranging from culinary cultures, archaeological sites, traditional and modern
architecture, green trekking routes, beaches with golden sands and clean sea,
underwater sports and exploration. Both countries have an enormous potential to
be explored in tourism and hospitality industry that would bring peoples of
these two friendly countries even closer. Now, it time to focus on discussing
how to further bilateral tourism and human to human interactions between
Türkiye and Indonesia.
Türkiye had received 60 million international tourists in 2025, generating
61 billion USD in revenue. Indonesia on the other hand has received 14 million
international visitors whose number is increasing year on year. In 2024, 200
000 Indonesians visited Türkiye while just over 50 000 Turks visited Indonesia,
mostly to Bali.
Given the size of populations of Türkiye and Indonesia, number of
visitors from these friendly countries with many shared values and traditions
would be much higher if systematic projects are implemented on both sides. In
this context, recent visa exemption decision by the Indonesian government for
Turkish citizen is a welcome development that would motivate more Turks to
visit Indonesia.
As the Ambassador of Türkiye to Indonesia, I am very pleased to state
that there is a strong will on the part of both countries to invest more time
and energy to improve and strengthen relations in tourism and hospitality
industry. I had very optimistic messages and encouraging signs when I met HE Widiyanti
Putri Wardhana, Minister of Tourism of Indonesia on 19.09.2025 in her office to
this effect.
I am thankful to her for her warm welcome and openness to share her
ideas and views about Türkiye and Indonesia relations. During our meeting
Minister Wardhana emphasized the historical foundations of bilateral relations
between our countries. In fact, she noted that Türkiye and Indonesia share deep
historical ties as well as shared cultural values that would contribute to
the tourism sector.
Underlining the strength of our relations, Minister Wardhana reminded us
that relations between Türkiye and Indonesia date back to the 16th century,
noting that the Ottoman Empire opened a consulate general in Batavia, now known
as Jakarta, in the 1880s. Minister Wardhana made reference to the broader areas
of relations emphasising that Türkiye and Indonesia are close allies, working
together within the UN, OIC, MIKTA, and D8.
In fact, the Ottoman Consulate in Jakarta remained open until early
1920s and played a bridging role between Turks and Indonesians. All the
correspondence between the Ottoman Consulate in Indonesia and the Ottoman Court
in Istanbul are well preserved in the archives and accessible for researchers
who are interested in the history of Sultanates of Indonesia and Ottoman
Empire. The archival materials are also important sources of social, political
and economic situation and developments as observed and reported by the Ottoman
Consul Generals during their service. As the Embassy of Türkiye we will place a
marble plaque at the entrance of current Textile Museum with an inscription
that this building served as the Office and residence of the Honorary Ottoman
Consul in 1881. I hope that this plaque will be a constant reminder of our deep
rooted relations.
Minister Wardhana said, during our meeting, that Indonesia has been
closely following Türkiye's successes in the tourism sector. As far as the new
initiatives to boost tourism in Indonesia in concerned, she said that new
tourism destinations have been identified in Indonesia and that international
airports have been opened to provide access to these new destinations. She
stated that Indonesia would like to develop cooperation opportunities with
Türkiye in attracting to more visitors drawing on her country's experience and
knowledge especially in the fields of halal hospitality and healing tourism.
She added that Indonesian personnel trained in healing practices could be
employed in Türkiye’s hospitality industry.
During the meeting with the Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri
Wardhana, I have summarized the recent high level visits noting that that HE President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and HE President Prabowo Subianto met twice, first in
Jakarta and second in Ankara, in the first quarter of 2025, marking the 75th
anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and
Indonesia. The first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council
was held in Bogor, and 15 agreements were signed during the both meetings. I
have explained that Türkiye has a very strong tourism infrastructure, making
significant progress in areas such as transportation, accommodation,
gastronomy, and the employment of qualified personnel.
I am happy to state that I share Minister Wardhana’s view on
co-operation in halal tourism as both our countries are majority Muslim
countries that offer halal certified products and supporting halal tourism,
which reflects shared cultural values, would be beneficial to increase the
number of visitors on both sides. I also noted that cities like Konya, Kayseri,
Bursa, and Mardin, in addition to Istanbul, could also attract Indonesians'
interest in cultural and spiritual tourism.
As Türkiye has a very reputable and strong health services industry, I also
stated that Türkiye's healthcare system and institutions provide high-quality
services, that Indonesians can safely receive reliable and affordable
diagnostic and treatment services from private and public healthcare facilities
in Türkiye, and that Türkiye is open to joint projects to support health
tourism.
Türkiye’s success story in tourism is a result of careful long term
planning and investment. This is what I shared with Minister Wardhana, stating
that Türkiye's Green Star program, launched in 2008, and the Safe Tourism
Certificate Program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic have had positive
impacts on the tourism sector in Türkiye. I also touched on the Zero Waste
project, initiated by HE First Lady Emine Erdoğan, which made a positive impact
on particularly in terms of green transformation and sustainability in tourism
and hospitality industry. I added that similar initiatives might also
positively contribute to Indonesian tourism and that Türkiye would be pleased
to share its Zero Waste experiences.
With the Minister Wardhana we also discussed increasing reciprocal
investments, Turkish Airlines' request to double the number of flights to
Jakarta, initiating exchange programs between educational institutions
specializing in tourism, participating as guests of honour at tourism fairs,
and expanding and updating the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in
the Field of Tourism, signed in 1993. We agreed to continue to share our
experience and work together to strengthen bilateral relations in tourism and
hospitality sectors.
Talip Küçükcan
Ambassador of Türkiye to Indonesia
@tkucukcan