UNWTO’s Executive Council will hold its general assembly in November 2023 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which will involve four countries elected members of the executive council, namely Indonesia, Japan, China and South Korea.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesia was elected a member of the UNWTO's Executive Council for the 2023-2027 period representing countries in East Asia and the Pacific, after being absent for two terms.

The election was held on the sidelines of the 55th Meeting of the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) Commission for East Asia & the Pacific (CAP) on Friday (June 16) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Besides Indonesia, the other countries selected were Japan, China and South Korea.

Indonesia obtained 16 votes out of a total of 19 member countries with voting rights, or the highest among the candidates.

Efforts to raise support at the meeting were made by the Indonesian delegation led by Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno with delegation members from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

The four countries nominated by the commission will be inaugurated as members of UNWTO’s Executive Council at the general assembly of the organization, which will take place in November 2023 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

As a member of the executive council, Indonesia carries a vision of achieving an equal partnership in which Indonesia can represent the voices of countries in the region, including ASEAN and the Pacific for the advancement of the regional tourism sector.

As a member of the G20 representing developing countries, Indonesia is committed to bridging the perspectives and goals of developed and developing countries in the field of tourism that can benefit both parties.

Since becoming a member in 1975, Indonesia has always played an active role and contributed to UNWTO's performance in the development of the international tourism sector.

Some of Indonesia's previous roles at UNWTO were as a member of the executive council (2011-2015), chair of the executive council (2013-2015), a member of the Programme and Budget Committee (2013-2015), a member of the UNWTO Task Force on Silk Road Programme (2013), and a member of the UNWTO and International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) in 2016.

Indonesia has also hosted the 10th UNWTO General Assembly in 1993 which successfully adopted the Standard International Classification of Tourism Activities (SICTA).

The election of Indonesia as a member of the UNWTO Executive Council is a form of international confidence in the active role of this world's largest archipelagic country in advancing the international tourism sector.

Editing by Indonesia Window