TOLEDO, Spain — Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have outlined a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening tourism cooperation, increasing visitor flows, and expanding opportunities for tourism businesses and destinations as both countries seek to deepen their long-standing bilateral relationship.
The discussions took place on June 11 during a meeting between Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb. Held on the sidelines of the 126th Session of the United Nations (UN) Tourism Executive Board in Toledo, Spain, the meeting focused on strategies to enhance tourism exchanges, advance sector collaboration, and support the growth of tourism-related economic activity between the two countries.
The engagement highlighted tourism as an area of growing cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which have maintained close ties through cultural and religious connections. Both ministers discussed how the partnership could be further developed through initiatives designed to increase travel volumes and create broader opportunities for destinations, businesses, and local communities.
Widiyanti described Saudi Arabia as one of Indonesia’s key partners in the Middle East and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening cooperation in tourism. She noted that future collaboration would be pursued through a framework of mutual respect and shared benefits.
Al-Khateeb emphasized the existing tourism relationship between the two nations and pointed to the cultural and faith-based connections that continue to underpin tourism exchanges. He said Saudi Arabia is working closely with Indonesian partners to strengthen those ties through expanded tourism activities, improved visitor experiences, and greater opportunities for tourism stakeholders in both markets.
A central component of the discussions involved reviewing progress on an ongoing memorandum of understanding in the tourism sector. The ministers assessed current cooperation efforts while exploring additional areas where collaboration could be expanded to support tourism growth.
The meeting also focused on increasing the number of Indonesian travelers visiting Saudi Arabia. Discussions covered opportunities across both religious tourism and leisure travel segments, reflecting efforts to diversify visitor experiences and broaden travel demand beyond traditional pilgrimage-related journeys.
Religious travel remains one of the most significant links between the two countries. During the meeting, both sides examined ways to improve the experience of Indonesian pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia. This includes coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to introduce visitors to tourism attractions and heritage experiences outside the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The initiative aims to expand awareness of a wider range of destinations within Saudi Arabia while enhancing the overall visitor journey for Indonesian travelers. By integrating heritage and tourism experiences into pilgrimage-related travel, both countries are exploring new avenues for tourism development and visitor engagement.
Beyond outbound travel from Indonesia, the discussions also addressed opportunities to attract a larger number of Saudi visitors to Indonesia. Indonesian officials expressed a commitment to welcoming more travelers from the Kingdom and supporting tourism products and services tailored to the needs and preferences of visitors from the Arab world.
As part of these efforts, Indonesia announced plans to establish an Arab and Hospitality Center at the Lombok Tourism Polytechnic in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The center is intended to strengthen the capabilities of tourism professionals by providing training focused on serving guests from Arab markets.
The initiative is designed to enhance the professional competence of Indonesia’s tourism workforce and improve service standards for visitors from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. Workforce development has become an increasingly important component of tourism competitiveness as destinations seek to align services with the expectations of international travelers.
The planned center also reflects a broader strategy of preparing tourism industry personnel to accommodate evolving visitor demographics and support future growth from key international markets. By investing in specialized hospitality training, Indonesia is positioning itself to better capture opportunities arising from increased tourism exchanges with the Middle East.
For tourism businesses, the discussions underscore the potential significance of stronger Indonesia-Saudi Arabia tourism links. Increased traveler flows can create opportunities across multiple segments of the tourism value chain, including hospitality, transportation, destination management, tourism services, and workforce development.
The bilateral engagement also comes as both countries continue to play active roles within international tourism governance frameworks. Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are members of the UN Tourism Executive Board, where they collaborate with other member states on issues affecting the future direction of the global tourism industry.
During the meeting, both nations reiterated their support for collective efforts to ensure sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity remain priorities within global tourism development. These themes continue to shape discussions among tourism policymakers and industry stakeholders as destinations seek to strengthen long-term sector growth.
The dialogue in Toledo demonstrated the strategic importance both governments place on tourism cooperation as part of their broader bilateral relationship. Through initiatives spanning visitor growth, pilgrimage experience enhancement, workforce development, and destination promotion, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are pursuing expanded tourism collaboration aimed at creating new opportunities for destinations, businesses, and tourism communities in both countries.
The meeting was reported following discussions held during the 126th Session of the UN Tourism Executive Board in Toledo, Spain, where both ministers reviewed ongoing cooperation and explored future pathways for tourism sector development between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
The discussions took place on June 11 during a meeting between Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb. Held on the sidelines of the 126th Session of the United Nations (UN) Tourism Executive Board in Toledo, Spain, the meeting focused on strategies to enhance tourism exchanges, advance sector collaboration, and support the growth of tourism-related economic activity between the two countries.
The engagement highlighted tourism as an area of growing cooperation between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which have maintained close ties through cultural and religious connections. Both ministers discussed how the partnership could be further developed through initiatives designed to increase travel volumes and create broader opportunities for destinations, businesses, and local communities.
Widiyanti described Saudi Arabia as one of Indonesia’s key partners in the Middle East and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening cooperation in tourism. She noted that future collaboration would be pursued through a framework of mutual respect and shared benefits.
Al-Khateeb emphasized the existing tourism relationship between the two nations and pointed to the cultural and faith-based connections that continue to underpin tourism exchanges. He said Saudi Arabia is working closely with Indonesian partners to strengthen those ties through expanded tourism activities, improved visitor experiences, and greater opportunities for tourism stakeholders in both markets.
A central component of the discussions involved reviewing progress on an ongoing memorandum of understanding in the tourism sector. The ministers assessed current cooperation efforts while exploring additional areas where collaboration could be expanded to support tourism growth.
The meeting also focused on increasing the number of Indonesian travelers visiting Saudi Arabia. Discussions covered opportunities across both religious tourism and leisure travel segments, reflecting efforts to diversify visitor experiences and broaden travel demand beyond traditional pilgrimage-related journeys.
Religious travel remains one of the most significant links between the two countries. During the meeting, both sides examined ways to improve the experience of Indonesian pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia. This includes coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to introduce visitors to tourism attractions and heritage experiences outside the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The initiative aims to expand awareness of a wider range of destinations within Saudi Arabia while enhancing the overall visitor journey for Indonesian travelers. By integrating heritage and tourism experiences into pilgrimage-related travel, both countries are exploring new avenues for tourism development and visitor engagement.
Beyond outbound travel from Indonesia, the discussions also addressed opportunities to attract a larger number of Saudi visitors to Indonesia. Indonesian officials expressed a commitment to welcoming more travelers from the Kingdom and supporting tourism products and services tailored to the needs and preferences of visitors from the Arab world.
As part of these efforts, Indonesia announced plans to establish an Arab and Hospitality Center at the Lombok Tourism Polytechnic in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The center is intended to strengthen the capabilities of tourism professionals by providing training focused on serving guests from Arab markets.
The initiative is designed to enhance the professional competence of Indonesia’s tourism workforce and improve service standards for visitors from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. Workforce development has become an increasingly important component of tourism competitiveness as destinations seek to align services with the expectations of international travelers.
The planned center also reflects a broader strategy of preparing tourism industry personnel to accommodate evolving visitor demographics and support future growth from key international markets. By investing in specialized hospitality training, Indonesia is positioning itself to better capture opportunities arising from increased tourism exchanges with the Middle East.
For tourism businesses, the discussions underscore the potential significance of stronger Indonesia-Saudi Arabia tourism links. Increased traveler flows can create opportunities across multiple segments of the tourism value chain, including hospitality, transportation, destination management, tourism services, and workforce development.
The bilateral engagement also comes as both countries continue to play active roles within international tourism governance frameworks. Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are members of the UN Tourism Executive Board, where they collaborate with other member states on issues affecting the future direction of the global tourism industry.
During the meeting, both nations reiterated their support for collective efforts to ensure sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity remain priorities within global tourism development. These themes continue to shape discussions among tourism policymakers and industry stakeholders as destinations seek to strengthen long-term sector growth.
The dialogue in Toledo demonstrated the strategic importance both governments place on tourism cooperation as part of their broader bilateral relationship. Through initiatives spanning visitor growth, pilgrimage experience enhancement, workforce development, and destination promotion, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are pursuing expanded tourism collaboration aimed at creating new opportunities for destinations, businesses, and tourism communities in both countries.
The meeting was reported following discussions held during the 126th Session of the UN Tourism Executive Board in Toledo, Spain, where both ministers reviewed ongoing cooperation and explored future pathways for tourism sector development between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
