DABAWENYOS are encouraged to invest in tourism and lifestyle industry in Indonesia as these are growing business trends this year.

During the Seminar on Doing Business in Indonesia last Friday, July 19, Indonesia investment coordinating board member Fajar Usman presented the main sectors for investment opportunities in Indonesia which are infrastructure, manufacturing industry, maritime, agriculture, tourism, and lifestyle industry.

Among the six, tourism and lifestyle industries are said to be “the new big deal” in the country which investors could also look into.

The lifestyle industry is a growing trend due to the rise of digital and the emergence of a large middle class.

“The rise of Indonesia’s middle class is already affecting Indonesian lifestyle and changing their spending behavior,” Usman said.

“Nowadays, Indonesian consumption are shifting from goods or non-leisure to experience or leisure economy,” he added.

Usman said a study shows that the Indonesian consuming class will grow almost double in 10 years since 2010 which means more Indonesian middle class would likely spend for food and beverage, leisure, and apparel soon, much higher than education, transportation, housing and utilities, telecommunications, and others.

Meanwhile, Usman said they are targeting 20 million tourists this year as the country develops and promotes 10 new tourist destinations, namely, Danau Toba, Tanjung Kelayang, Kepulauan Seribu, Tanjung Lesung, Borobudur, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru, Mandalika, Wakatobi, Morotai, and Labuan Bajo.

In 2018, Indonesia recorded Malaysia as the top foreign tourist with 2.5 million tourists. This was followed by China (2.13 million tourists), Singapore (1.76 million tourists), Timor Leste (1.76 million tourists), and Australia (1.3 million). (LHC)