Jakarta (ANTARA) – Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana stated that Indonesia's tourism sector continues to grow strongly despite global geopolitical pressures.”We are not only pushing tourism to increase arrivals, foreign exchange earnings, investment, and GDP contribution, but also ensuring that this growth is felt directly by the community,” she said during a meeting with the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday.According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, from January to April 2026, foreign tourist arrivals reached 4.68 million, representing an 8.24 percent growth compared to the same period in 2025.Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2026, Indonesia obtained US$4.05 billion from tourism revenue, an increase of 6.30 percent compared to the same period last year.Wardhana underscored that these achievements must continue to be directed toward creating added value for communities, including by strengthening tourism villages as an instrument for equitable development.As part of the efforts, the Ministry of Tourism continues to promote community empowerment and assistance, sustainable tourism village certification, and collaboration with the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) to expand halal certification for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in tourism villages.As of May 30, 2026, the ministry and BPJPH have facilitated 31,548 halal certifications for MSMEs across 1,116 tourism villages in 34 provinces. The move is expected to boost the competitiveness of local products while building tourist confidence.In addition to tourism villages, the equitable distribution of tourism benefits is also being reinforced through regional events.The Karisma Event Nusantara program, which has been held in 15 provinces, has involved 20,669 workers and 3,936 MSMEs, generating an economic turnover of more than Rp45.57 billion (approximately US$2.5 million).Furthermore, the Ministry of Tourism also bolsters support for regions through its co-administration task across 38 provinces.The initiatives include travel safety training, local promotional content creation, and support for tourism events aimed at upgrading destination quality and driving tourist movement.Minister Wardhana also emphasized that the tourism economy must deliver tangible impacts that trickle down to villages, boosting MSMEs, creating jobs, and strengthening the village economy.Going forward, she stressed that tourism development must become increasingly high-quality, inclusive, and sustainable.Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism will continue to strengthen collaboration with the House of Representatives, regional governments, ministries, agencies, industry players, communities, and the public.