Real Estate Indonesia Proposes Rusmin Lawin as Deputy Tourism Minister to Boost Foreign Investment

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — The Organizational Advisory Board (BPO) of the Central Executive Board of Real Estate Indonesia (DPP REI) has proposed property executive Rusmin Lawin to fill the position of Second Deputy Minister of Tourism, aiming to accelerate foreign direct investment and infrastructure development across Sumatra.

The nomination underscores a growing push by Indonesia's real estate sector to link large-scale property and hospitality development directly with national tourism policy. By pairing international capital access with integrated resort planning, industry leaders hope to unlock underdeveloped destinations in western Indonesia beyond traditional promotion campaigns.

Rusmin, who currently serves as DPP REI Vice Chairman for Foreign Relations, is projected to reinforce the Ministry of Tourism's leadership duo of Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana and Deputy Minister Niluh Puspa.

Targeting Foreign Capital and Sumatra Destinations

BPO DPP REI Secretary Bally Saputra Dt Jano Sati said the proposal is designed to spur foreign direct investment into strategic tourism projects and Special Economic Zones (KEK).

"Acceleration in the national tourism sector currently requires concrete steps, especially those combining integrated area development, supporting property provision, and large-scale funding from abroad," Bally said in an official statement on Monday (11/2/2026).

Bally emphasized that modern destination development goes beyond marketing and requires physical infrastructure such as international-standard resorts and hotels. Appointing a figure with established global networks would enable more aggressive economic diplomacy in the tourism sector.

"The government needs a figure who has access to global investor networks to assist the minister, particularly in accelerating the structuring of destinations in western Indonesia, such as the Mandeh area and the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra," Bally explained.

A 25-Year Track Record in Global Real Estate

Rusmin brings more than a quarter-century of property industry experience to the table. Starting his organizational leadership at REI's North Sumatra chapter in 2008 under the mentorship of the late property pioneer Dr. Ciputra, he went on to hold senior roles at the Paris-based International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI), where he has been active since 2005.

His international credentials include serving as FIABCI Asia-Pacific Regional President from 2022 to 2026, sitting on the FIABCI International Board of Directors since 2017, and representing the federation at the United Nations in Vienna and Geneva. He also serves as a Global Advisor to Fundacion Metropoli in Madrid, the Syndicat National des Professionnels Immobiliers (SNPI) in Paris, and the Middle East Cities Center in Dubai.

Domestically, Rusmin sits on the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and served as an Expert Staff member to the Leadership of the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) from 2023 to 2025. During his tenure with the new capital authority, he led investment promotion missions across 32 countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, earning recognition from the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI).

In 2026, Rusmin received two international honors—the Global Iconic Real Estate Leader Award in Dubai in September and the Asia Influential Leader Award in Kuala Lumpur in October—while focusing his diplomatic efforts on the Blue Economy Corridor, a maritime-based economic integration framework linking western Indonesia with Asia-Pacific and Central Asian markets. Through this nomination, BPO REI urges the government to prioritize closer alignment between property development and tourism in shaping future national investment policies.