Indonesia is set to establish collaboration in the tourism and creative economy sectors with two African countries, Zanzibar and Algeria, primarily through student exchange programs at tourism colleges in Bali. This was announced by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, following a bilateral meeting with African heads of state at the second Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF) summit held in Nusa Dua, Bali, from September 1-3, 2024.

“Firstly, the bilateral meeting with UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) emphasized Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening our creative economy, which is primarily focused on South-South cooperation,” said Sandiaga Uno in Nusa Dua, Badung, on September 2, 2024.

He noted that Zanzibar is eager to collaborate in the tourism and human resources sectors, particularly for student exchanges at Bali Tourism Polytechnic. “Tourism supports 30 percent of Africa's economy, while Bali is also designing a sustainability-based tourism model,” he explained.

Additionally, Sandiaga mentioned his meeting with the Minister of Knowledge-Based Economy from Algeria, who expressed interest in learning from Indonesia’s development of tourism and the creative economy, particularly from Bali. “In Algeria, they see Indonesia as a leader in the global creative economy sector, and they want us to continue developing this partnership,” he stated.

Despite the challenges Bali faces, Sandiaga did not expect the island to become a reference point for tourism among southern countries. “Now they are looking at how we can direct tourism to other regions as a way to anticipate overtourism,” he concluded.

source: https://www.detik.com/bali/bisnis/d-7520893/politeknik-pariwisata-bali-bakal-kedatangan-para-mahasiswa-dari-afrika