Jakarta (ANTARA) – The tourism sector led overall sectoral growth with a 13.14 percent surge as Indonesia recorded 5.61 percent economic growth in the first quarter of 2026, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said.”The tourism sector, which is supported by the accommodation and food and beverage services, led sectoral growth with a double-digit growth of 13.14 percent,” Airlangga said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.In May 2026, Indonesia recorded 1.38 million foreign tourist arrivals and around 106.16 million domestic tourist trips, both marking increases compared to the same period last year.Airlangga noted that the growth of the global event hosting industry also reflects a market shift toward “bleisure” – a mix of business and leisure activities – rather than purely recreational travel.The shift has opened up opportunities for Indonesia to integrate the holding of events with various flagship destinations, thereby generating bigger added value to the tourism sector while driving economic activities in the regions.In line with these efforts, the government continues to drive the transformation of the tourism sector through the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver more innovative, personalized, and competitive travel experiences. One key initiative is the Tourism 5.0 program.In the same statement, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana explained that Indonesia is accelerating the digital transformation of its tourism sector through the flagship Tourism 5.0 program.”Last year, we launched MaiA, an AI-powered travel planner on Indonesia.travel, which simplifies destination discovery and makes trip planning seamless and personalized,” she said.Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism is developing Event by Indonesia (EBI), a national digital platform serving as an information hub and database for event hosting, ranging from cultural arts to sports events, across the country.This digital transformation is expected to bolster the competitiveness of the national event industry while supporting more innovative, efficient, and sustainable event management.Synergized efforts between strengthening the digital ecosystem, destination development, and event management are poised to broaden the tourism sector’s economic impact across various other industries.Spokesperson of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Haryo Limanseto stated that the Indonesian government continues to boost connectivity, develop event-based destinations, and leverage AI to establish Indonesia as a global hub for Meeting, Incentive, Convention, and Exhibition (MICE).