The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Collaborates with Ayoconnect to Boost Tourism Villages

The number of tourists traveling to Indonesia continues to increase as the COVID-19 cases are declining. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, abbreviated as Kemenparekraf targets an increase in international tourist arrivals between 1.8 to 3.6 million individuals, that predicted to contribute to the national GDP up to 4.3% in 2022. Several programs and innovations have been rolled out to achieve these target, one of which is the tourism village program (baca: program Desa Wisata).

Tourism village is a program that aims to encourage the villages’ community across Indonesia to develop and manage their own tourism potential independently and creatively. One of the potentials that can leverage job opportunities and increase profitability at the tourism village is to take advantage of the development of digital technology.

Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy,  stated, "The objective to revive the tourism and creative industries can be achieved through collaboration and contributions from all parties. In spite of the pandemic’s challenge, Indonesia’s Global Tourism Index rose by 12 places. Innovation, adaptation, and collaboration substantially take part in this achievement.”

“708,000 jobs in the creative industries and 400,000 in the tourism sector can be established through integrated and innovative solutions. The collaboration with Ayoconnect that resulted in the PanduDesa app is a form of commitment to boosting the creative economy and tourism through job creation,” Sandiaga added.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy continues to provide various vital supports for the tourism industry and the creative economy. One of which is the plan to launch the PanduDesa application that was created in collaboration with Ayoconnect, the largest Open Finance platform in Indonesia. Open Finance itself is a system that builds interconnectivity between financial service providers and other businesses through an API (application programming interface).

Some of the financial service features included in the PanduDea app are top-up services, internet data packages, and electricity and water bill payments. These features enable the community at the tourism village to create jobs, increase sales value to tourists, and increase income and business profitability.

Sandiaga also highlights that revitalizing the tourism industry should be bolstered with 3G: Gercep, Geber, and Gaspol.

"By Gercep (fast movement), Geber (joint movement), and Gaspol (working on accelerating potentials of existing job) from all stakeholders, we will be able to revive and sustain the economy creative and tourism industry. The signing of the MoU with Ayoconnect is one manifestation of all the 3Gs,"  Sandiaga explained.

COO and Co-Founder Ayoconnect, Chiragh Kirpalani, added, “The economic progress of a country can be achieved progressively when there is a solid synergy between the government, the private sector, and the general public. The collaboration between Ayoconnect, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, and thousands of tourist villages across Indonesia is an example that is driven by the spirit to encourage more agents of change in Indonesia to achieve world-class economic growth. Moving forward, Ayoconnect and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will continue to collaborate and bring more innovations to the creative economy and tourism industries."

About Ayoconnect

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Jakarta, Ayoconnect is Southeast Asia’s largest Open Finance API platform. The company is building full stack solutions with the mission to power the leading companies of today and tech unicorns of tomorrow. Its powerful embedded finance and data solutions help companies of all shapes and sizes to quickly and easily launch banking and payment services and in turn help drive financial inclusion and greater access to innovative financial services. Ayoconnect’s tech solutions are trusted by more than 200 clients, including leading financial institutions and tech companies such as Bank Mandiri, DANA, Indomaret, and Bukalapak.

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