AI gives ID edge over Thailand, MY in tourism ranking, says minister Uno

Minister of tourism and creative economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has reportedly said that artificial intelligence (AI) has helped Indonesia reach 22nd place in the tourism index. 

The minister reportedly said that AI had succeeded in helping the nation achieve a 10-rank jump from 32nd to 22nd place, reported Antara. 

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According to the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024 released by the World Economic Forum in May 2024, Malaysia is ranked 35th globally while Thailand is ranked 47th. 

Meanwhile, Singapore is the highest ranked ASEAN country, sitting at 13th place globally. 

The minister reportedly added that AI helps to read tourism trends that are personalised, customised, localised and smaller in size.  

'Personalised' refers to tourism that is private or limited to families, while 'customised' means that tourism packages are based on the needs of tourists such as preference for open nature of beaches, or designing local cultural experiences at tourist villages, Uno reportedly said. 

Meanwhile, 'localised' means that tourism experiences are prepared for domestic people within a short distance from home, Uno reportedly explained. Lastly, 'smaller in size' means that tourist attractions only accommodate a few people to ensure their comfort, whilst offering spacious areas to be explored. 

Uno reportedly added that AI assesses that the quality of tourists is more important than the quantity, of which the quality is reflected by the length of their stay at a destination and how much they spend. 

In addition, the minister reportedly said that its analytical ability allows AI to support the creation of more quality and sustainable tourism offerings, adding that Indonesia's number of tourists may not be on par with Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, but it still ranks higher on the TTDI. 

In July this year, Uno reportedly proposed to use the Indonesia Quality Tourism Fund (IQTF) for various events such as sports events and music festivals. 

The IQTF is reportedly worth IDR2 trillion (around SG$165 million). 

Speaking at the 'Road to Run for Independence Day 2024' held at Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex on Sunday, Sandiaga said that the specific events will be decided by the president-elect and vice president-elect for 2024 to 2029, according to Antara.

He reportedly added that sports events such as the Moto GP, F1 Powerboat, Aquabike World Championship, World Surf League and music events such as the Java Jazz Festival were proposed. 

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