Highlighting the significance of music concerts and festivals for Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy sector, Sandiaga Uno is contemplating relaxing event requirements and implementing a visa-free policy for potential overseas tourists.
Sandiaga Uno, the current Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, informed the press on 22nd February that it was high time for the international community to take note of the country’s MICE sector — MICE standing for ‘Meeting, Incentive, Convention, and Exhibition’. The MICE sector, furthermore, includes music concerts, music festivals, and sports matches held in Indonesia.
Uno, moreover, believed that leniency in event requirements had become paramount.
“To support this matter, the government should ease the digital requirements for holding music and sports events in this country,” Uno asserted to the press.
Uno pointed out how, specifically, music events held in Indonesia could attract more foreign visitors, ultimately leading to growth in economic prosperity.
“In Indonesia, we have had concerts featuring domestic musicians such as [solo concerts by] Dewa 19, [solo concerts by] Sheila On 7, Soundrenaline, Java Jazz Festival, and Djakarta Warehouse Project,” Uno elaborated. “We have also had [music events] featuring K-pop artists and artists from overseas such as Head In The Clouds — which featured NIKI and Rich Brian — and the Blackpink concert, which successfully mesmerised no fewer than 140 thousand people. And, of course, there was the Coldplay concert in Indonesia, which attracted millions of people.”
To entice more foreign visitors to attend these events, Uno teased that a certain visa-free policy is currently in development.
“We are currently working on it, and we are also preparing a visa-free policy for visitors from a number of countries,” Uno added.
On a separate occasion, Uno offered his remarks on how American pop superstar Taylor Swift is scheduled to visit only Singapore, out of all Southeast Asian countries, during her ongoing world tour. The minister believed that the so-called “Swiftonomics” would also benefit Indonesia and other ASEAN countries — provided that cooperation between the members of the regional association was in place.
“Can ASEAN work together to bring Taylor Swift [to Indonesia]? Because she will need to pass through Bali to get to Singapore from Sydney,” Uno quipped on the same day.