Indonesia

At the annual meeting of the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia held in 2018, Indonesian Minister of Tourism Aliyev Yahya proposed that in the next five years, the Indonesian tourism industry will attract 500 trillion rupiah (about 243.7 billion yuan) from home and abroad. Investment is used to develop new scenic spots, build homestays, and improve tourism-related infrastructure.

　　 This goal reflects Indonesia's ambition to build a tourism power. To become a major tourist country, complete supporting accommodation conditions are essential. However, there is a shortage of hotel resources in Indonesia. In 2017, the second stop of the World Motocross Championship came to Bangka Island, Indonesia. A large number of riders, spectators and event staff quickly occupied the local hotel. If the "start" is not timely, there will be nowhere to settle.

　　 There are not enough hotels. Aliyev Yahya emphasized the need to further support the development of Indonesia's homestay industry. According to preliminary statistics, in 2018, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism's investment in the homestay industry is expected to reach two trillion rupiah. At the same time, the Indonesian government is also looking for ways to meet the financing and loan needs of the homestay industry. Aliyev Yahya said that after discussions, the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia and the Bank of Indonesia have begun to provide housing financing loans for homestay practitioners, lowering the financing threshold and loan interest rates, and the installment period can reach up to 20 years. B&B practitioners have no financial worries. Zhuang Xinlu, who runs a homestay in Semarang, the capital of Central Java, told our reporter that he is planning to expand the homestay business to Yogyakarta where more tourists are available. With the preferential loan provided by the government, there is no need to worry about funding.

　　 There are nearly 75,000 villages in Indonesia, and each village has its own unique culture and charm. In May 2018, the Indonesian Ministry of Rural and Underdeveloped Regions and the Ministry of Tourism jointly launched a plan to develop 100,000 homestays. The Indonesian government allocated 60 trillion rupiah for the plan, and these funds will be allocated to a number of villages with potential for tourism development. Last year, Indonesia developed 20,000 new homestays. This move will welcome more tourists to these villages, promote the development of local tourism, and benefit more people.

　　 In addition, the Indonesian government also attaches great importance to the training of homestay practitioners and government managers. At present, the Indonesian government’s training program for the homestay industry has covered 31.42% of the country’s homestay industry practitioners.

The market has a large demand for homestays. On the one hand, Indonesia’s tourism resources are not fully developed and hotels are in short supply; on the other hand, more and more tourists are more willing to choose homestays that can fully experience the local culture than the same hotels . Tiyala from Jakarta is a homestay lover. Every year she travels to various places in Indonesia with her family and friends, and she usually chooses homestays. "B&Bs are generally two or three times cheaper than hotels, and you can meet tourists from all over the world and experience different cultures. This kind of travel is fun!"

　　 Tiyala told reporters that the Indonesian homestay industry is also keeping up with the times. In 2011, she and her friends traveled to Bogor, and staying in a homestay can only rely on the phone to contact the agency, but now it can be booked on the mobile platform, and the procedure is very simple. Home2Home, officially launched in March 2018, is a very popular homestay sharing application in Indonesia. It attracted 2 million registered users as soon as it went online, reflecting the huge potential of the Indonesian homestay market from the side.