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2 Ekim 2025 Perşembe

How can tourism and hospitality industry bring Türkiye and Indonesia closer?

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

How can tourism and hospitality industry bring Türkiye and Indonesia closer?

Türkiye and Indonesia have deeply rooted historical relations going back to the 16th century. Not only historical memories are shared by the...