India Eyes Tenfold Trade Growth with Indonesia: Key Sectors for Collaboration
JAKARTA, investortrust.id – The Indian government has expressed its ambition to increase economic and trade ties with Indonesia by tenfold over the coming years.
Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, stated that this goal could be achieved within five years despite the relatively modest historical and civilizational ties between the two nations.
“You now have a dynamic and visionary president who believes in strengthening economic and trade relations with India. Our Prime Minister strongly believes that India must deepen its economic ties with Indonesia,” Amitabh said on Saturday, Jan 25, 2025.
Strategic Proximity: A Natural Advantage
According to Kant, achieving this target is feasible due to the geographical closeness of the two countries. Indonesia is a near neighbor, with India’s Andaman-Nicobar Islands located just north of Aceh, Sumatra.
“From the Andaman Islands, it takes only 45 minutes to reach Indonesia. We consider Andaman to be adjacent to Indonesia. In the Malacca Strait, we are literally neighbors. From this area in eastern India, we should establish direct connections,” he explained.
Tourism: A Key Growth Area
India sees great potential for collaboration in areas such as digital public infrastructure, green energy, and tourism. Amitabh highlighted that many Indians currently travel to destinations like Singapore, Malaysia, and Europe.
India’s outbound travel market is estimated at 27 million tourists, a figure expected to grow to 40 million within the next three years.
During his visit to Indonesia for the G20 Summit, Amitabh noted that Indonesia offers some of the most beautiful destinations in the world, including several stunning Hindu temples.
“There’s enormous potential for wealthy and upper-class Indian travelers. Indonesia must tap into this market in a significant way. Somehow, Indonesia has not yet marketed itself strongly enough in India,” he added.
Untapped Opportunities
Amitabh emphasized that while Bali is well-known, other Indonesian destinations also offer unique and captivating attractions. He observed that many Indian tourists who have visited Indonesia regard it highly, reinforcing the opportunity for broader promotion.
“In my opinion, Indians should experience the joy of exploring Indonesia,” he concluded, advocating for more robust marketing efforts to unlock Indonesia’s tourism potential in the Indian market.