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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said during a limited evaluation
meeting on national strategic projects (PSN) and priority programs in
Bali on Wednesday that he wanted to maintain the growth of foreign
tourists coming to the famous resort island.
Jokowi described Bali as unique in that its economy is not based on
natural resources, but rather the tourism sector and creative industry,
which rely on creativity and culture.
“With culture and creativity, Bali province has presented a positive
image for Indonesia to the entire world, which is why foreign tourists
know more about Bali than Indonesia,” Jokowi said.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya called Bali the tourism icon of
Indonesia, just like Thailand is the tourism icon of Southeast Asia.
“It’s true what President Jokowi said, Bali is not affected by
natural resource commodities such as oil and gas, coal and CPO [Crude
Palm Oil]; Bali’s economy is purely driven by tourism and the creative
economy,” Arief said.
Source - TheJakartaPost