Private Sector Manages Most of Indonesia's Tourist Attractions

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded 2,945 tourism companies in Indonesia in 2019. Of these, the majority, or 2,201, were privately managed.

There were 574 tourism companies managed by local governments in 2019. 119 were managed by authorities, and 51 by the central government.

BPS also reported that the majority, or 958, of companies fell into the category of artificial tourist attractions in 2019. Of these, 860 artificial tourist attractions were mostly managed by private companies.

69 artificial tourist attractions were managed by local governments. Authorities and the central government managed 16 and 13 units respectively.

The next largest category of tourism companies was natural attractions, with 605 units. Management of these was still dominated by private companies, with 346 units.

There were 189 natural tourist attractions managed by local governments, 46 by authorities, and 24 by the central government.

Indonesia also had 418 businesses operating in the amusement and recreation sector. 322 of these were managed by private companies, 78 by local governments, 12 by authorities, and 6 by the central government.

In 2019, there were also 256 cultural tourism attraction companies in the country. 156 were managed by local governments, 82 by private companies, and 18 by authorities.

BPS explains that the tourism sector is important to the economy for increasing foreign exchange earnings, expanding job opportunities, and business opportunities. However, this sector is one of the most vulnerable to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic due to restrictions on public activity to suppress the spread of the virus.