Yogyakarta, November 25th 2025 – Indonesia’s tourism sector is entering a new phase of transformation, shifting from a focus purely on quantity towards a development model oriented around quality, value-add, and sustainability. In response to and in concrete support of the strategic vision of the Minister of Tourism, Ibu Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, the Doctoral Study Program in Tourism Studies at the Graduate School (SPs) of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) collaborated with the Deputy for Industry and Investment of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) to organize a strategic Public Lecture. The event, themed “Thematic Tourism as a Space for Innovation and Strategic Partnership towards the Sustainable Tourism Industry,” was held in the Auditorium Room, 5th Floor of the UGM Graduate School Building, from 08:30 to 11:30 AM Western Indonesian Time (WIB).
Within the framework of industrial and investment policy, Kemenparekraf created thematic tourism as a key instrument to establish quality tourism, encompassing approaches such as wellness tourism, marine tourism, gastronomy, and cultural tourism. Furthermore, this approach closely intersects with the concept of scientific tourism, which is now recognized as a high-value niche market. Scientific tourism transforms the function of destinations, making them not only recreational spaces but also living laboratories fostering a knowledge-based economy with education, research, and innovation. Kemenparekraf data for 2024 indicates that the investment value in this sector has surpassed USD 3.3 billion, with an increasing trend in projects prioritizing sustainability and digital transformation principles.
As a center of academic excellence, UGM holds a strategic role as a hub for the development of scientific tourism in Indonesia. This activity serves as a concrete platform for collaboration and dialogue, bringing together various stakeholders, including the Deputy for Industry and Investment of Kemenparekraf, lecturers, researchers, regional government representatives, and D4 to S3 level Tourism students from UGM and HILDIKTIPARI DIY. This cross-sector synergy aims to analyze investment opportunities in thematic tourism, build a collective understanding of the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, and formulate an integrated strategy between government policy and academic innovation.
It is expected that this meeting will lead to the identification of innovative business models and investment schemes in scientific tourism, and the socialization of Kemenparekraf’s strategic direction and programs in supporting sustainable thematic investment. The culmination of the public lecture featured the main presentation from the Kemenparekraf Deputy, followed by a discussion and Q&A session guided by a moderator, and concluded with the presentation of souvenirs and a group photo, reaffirming a shared commitment to strengthening Indonesia’s position as a leading global thematic tourism destination.
Author: Berlian Belasuni