Bajra Sandi temple in Bali, Indonesia (Photo: ANN)Jakarta (VNA) - The Indonesia governmentwill issue a stimulus package worth 25 trillion Rp (1.68 billion USD) to recover the local tourism industry after theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Head of the ministry's Fiscal Policy Department (BKF) Febrio Nathan Kacaribusaid at an online press briefing on May 13 that tourism was one of the sectorshardest hit by the medical crisis, with no less than 1.4 million workers forcedto take leave or sacked.
The stimulus will be disbursed onceIndonesia resumes its economic movements, he said.
"By quarter three, people willanticipate traveling, as they have been quite bored at home. That's why, wewill prepare a stimulus for tourism,restaurants, transportation. Hopefully, there would be more in the fourthquarter," he said.
Among the stimuli are discounted airline tickets to certain traveldestinations, as well as tax incentives for hotels and restaurants.
Febrio said the package is an attempt by the government to increase theconsumption rate of the middle class.
Febrio said that the COVID-19 pandemic hassuspended the life of the tourism sector, causing consumption growth in thefirst quarter to decelerate to just 2.8 percent. It is expected thatconsumption will decline further in the second quarter as the governmentimplements large-scale social restrictions in a number of major cities.
The number of internationaltourist arrivals to Indonesia in March plunged by 64.1 percent compared to thesame period last year, to 470,898, the lowest level in a decade./.
VNA
