Minister Thohir calls for aggressive expansion of Indonesia's sport tourism sector
Minister Budi Thohir said Indonesia is only capturing 0.5% of the global sport-tourism market and urged a stronger push to unlock its huge potential.
At a ceremony unveiling the book "MotoGP Mandalika 2025: Economic, Image, and Tourism Acceleration," Minister Budi Thohir warned that Indonesia is tapping only about 0.5% of the worldwide sport-tourism market, amounting to roughly Rp39 trillion. He cited the overall sports sector’s worth at Rp8,000 trillion and the global sport-tourism figure of Rp9,500 trillion to illustrate the gap. Thohir pointed to the Mandalika Circuit’s contribution of roughly Rp5 trillion from last year’s MotoGP race as a sign of what focused development can achieve.
He recalled President Soekarno’s early investments in events like the National Sports Week and the Asian Games, which left lasting infrastructure such as the GBK stadium and Hotel Indonesia. The minister argued that expanding sport-tourism would not only boost the economy but also serve as a lasting national brand.
