Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia is hosting the Southeast Asia Business Events Forum (SEABEF) 2026 with the aim of strengthening its position as the region’s events hub, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said.“Our hope is for Indonesia to bolster its role as a center for business events in the ASEAN region while driving the growth of quality, sustainable, and high-value-added tourism,” she remarked during the forum’s opening in Jakarta on Wednesday.Wardhana highlighted the strategic role of the business events industry in boosting the competitiveness of tourist destinations and stimulating economic growth.She observed that business events have become a catalyst for investment, innovation, knowledge transfer, and value creation across sectors.In 2024, she continued, the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector accounted for around 30.75 percent of the revenue of the global event management industry, whose market size was valued at nearly US$1.2 trillion.With that in mind, the minister underscored organizing SEABEF 2026 as a strategic step for Indonesia to cement its position as Southeast Asia’s main driver of competitive, innovative, and sustainable MICE.She added that the forum brings together governments, international associations, industry actors, academics, and the media, providing them with a venue to exchange views on a range of strategic issues of common interest.This year’s SEABEF has served as a platform to discuss event policy harmonization among ASEAN countries, the development of quality destinations, industrial transformation through digital technologies, the growth of sport and entertainment events, talent strengthening, and strategies for winning international event hosting bids.The forum is being held in conjunction with the Indonesia Business Event Mart (IBEM) 2026, which runs from July 28 to 31 as a business-matching platform for domestic and international MICE professionals.“Synergizing these two events is expected to expand partnership opportunities, strengthen Indonesia’s business events ecosystem, and enhance strategic collaboration among the government, associations, and the private sector in driving up the national MICE industry,” Wardhana stated.Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto highlighted the strategy for Indonesia to become a global MICE center by integrating business and recreational activities through priority destinations such as Borobudur, Prambanan, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Komodo National Park, and Lake Toba.He noted that Indonesia welcomed 1.38 million foreign visitors and recorded 106 million domestic tourist trips in May 2026, both representing increases from the previous year.“This foundation makes Indonesia well-positioned to become a global MICE center, especially given the market shift toward business and leisure activities,” he said.