Swiftonomics: Indonesia seeks to work with Singapore for major events

[JAKARTA] Indonesia is keen to join hands with Singapore to host international events including concerts and sports events, but there are no concrete plans yet towards this end, said its Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno.

In an interview with The Business Times (BT) on Thursday (Mar 14), he also said that Indonesia is open to collaborating with Singapore to offset or reduce the carbon footprint from concerts.

Uno recently met with Singapore’s Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu during his official visit to discuss the potential areas for collaboration. Fu is also the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.

Part of the discussion involved the potential for Indonesia’s Batam and Bintan islands – two special economic zones (SEZ) near Singapore – as alternatives for organisers to hold large events.

“We are still laying the groundwork and the framework for the potential collaborations involving Batam and Bintan opportunities. That’s our low-hanging fruit,” he added.

In response to queries from BT, a spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry said that the Singapore government is always ready to explore ways to partner with Indonesia and neighbouring countries to attract more tourists to the region.

Uno acknowledged that American pop icon Taylor Swift’s recent concerts in Singapore boosted the island nation’s economy, given that concert-goers spend five times more than ordinary tourists.

He expressed his desire to offer more incentives to pull in international-scale music, sports and cultural events to Indonesia. The government aims to attract 14.3 million foreign visitors by 2024.

Nestled just a stone’s throw from Singapore, Batam and Bintan have swiftly risen to become the top Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) destinations in the region.

Apart from their SEZ status, Uno said the Indonesian government is looking into offering incentives and stimulus packages to attract more investors and travellers to the two islands.

The government is currently preparing a special reserve called the Indonesia Tourism Fund with initial capital of two trillion rupiah (S$171 million) to help local organisers bring in big concerts.

It is hoped that this fund would give tourism industry players – whether hotel owners, tour operators, or destination developers – easier access to more affordable funding, with which they can plan and execute projects that support local and national economic growth.

He said that Indonesia still has a lot of work to do to encourage private investment in infrastructure by creating a better environment through policies and regulation, and the government is keen to find more creative and innovative infrastructure financing solutions through public and private finance, including from Singapore.

“The private sector is always welcome to collaborate. (The) private sector spreads innovation and brings the speed in taking actions and reaching out to see what potential events Indonesia can attract,” he said.

Indonesia no longer requires international artistes seeking a music performer visa to submit a work permit, police clearance letter, or a letter showing they have at least five years’ work experience.

The rules were simplified because such artistes are seeking to perform only for a short period in Indonesia, and thus would not be competing with local musicians.

Sponsors such as concert organisers, music promoters or other related parties can request the visa. Previously, Indonesia had issued music performer visas for Coldplay, K-pop girl band Twice and the Jonas Brothers.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia grew by 16.2 per cent year on year to 927,750 in January 2024, amid a sustained recovery in the tourism sector.