Minister of Youth and Sports, Erick Thohir, is initiating a paradigm shift in viewing the development of the sports sector in Indonesia. He emphasized that sports should no longer be regarded as an expense or a burden on the state, but rather as a strategic asset capable of generating financial returns and strengthening the national image globally.
Erick highlighted the immense potential of sport tourism, which globally generates up to IDR 9,800 trillion in revenue with an annual growth trend of eight percent. According to him, this figure represents a golden opportunity for Indonesia to comprehensively integrate sports activities into its national economic growth targets.
As a concrete step, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is actively promoting national and international sporting events. For instance, the surge of marathon events in various regions—such as Bandung and Mandalika—has been proven to significantly stimulate local economic activity. The increase in participants at each event directly impacts hotel occupancy rates, the culinary industry, and the sports retail sector.
The Minister also gave special attention to other sports disciplines, such as surfing, which possess similar potential to be developed as flagship sports tourism attractions. These efforts are pursued by continuously aligning mindsets among all stakeholders so that the sports sector's contribution to Indonesia's future economic development can be optimized.
