The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was officially established in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 8, 1967. It means August 8, 2023, will be the 56th anniversary of ASEAN.

Interestingly, the 56th ASEAN Anniversary coincides with the election of Indonesia as Chair of ASEAN 2023. With the theme "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", Indonesia's Chairmanship of ASEAN officially starts from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023.

This is the fifth time that Indonesia has hosted the ASEAN Chairmanship. Previously, Indonesia held the chairmanship in 1976, 1996, 2003, and 2011.

Series of Events in the Asean Summit 2023

With the ASEAN Chairmanship, Indonesia also has the opportunity to host the ASEAN Summit 2023. This year, the 42nd ASEAN Summit took place twice. 

The 42nd ASEAN Summit was successfully held in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on May 9-11, 2023. Meanwhile, the 43rd ASEAN Summit will take place in Jakarta on September 5-7, 2023.

Photo: Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN has a positive impact on the parekraf sector (asean2023.id)

The 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta will not only be attended by the organization's leaders, but also be attended by partner countries such as ASEAN +3, which consists of China, Japan, and South Korea. In addition, the 43rd ASEAN Summit will also be attended by ASEAN Plus CER (Closer Economic Relations), which consists of Australia and New Zealand.

Previously, Indonesia has also successfully organized various international events while holding the ASEAN Chairmanship 2023. One of them is the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), which was held on February 2-5, 2023, in Yogyakarta.

During that event, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy/Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf) noted that the total potential transactions at ATF 2023 reached 60 million US dollars from 134,609 transactions.

The organization of ATF 2023 had a good impact on the local economy of Yogyakarta, which amounted to IDR55,511,188,447. This achievement has had a very good impact on encouraging the revival of Indonesia's tourism sector and creative economy.

The Role of ASEAN in the Revival of the Tourism and Creative Economy Sector in Indonesia

Having the mandate to hold the Chairmanship of ASEAN 2023 is an excellent opportunity to support the revival of Indonesia's tourism sector and creative economy. Especially in introducing and promoting all tourism potential with abundant natural and cultural wealth.

Moreover, the beauty of Indonesia's destinations continues to be recognized worldwide. The latest is the designation of Bali as the "Second Most Popular Tourist Destination in the World" by TripAdvisor. In fact, in the Traveler's Choice Award for Destinations, Bali's popularity as the most popular destination surpassed London, Paris, and Rome!

It is hoped that Indonesia's Chairmanship of ASEAN 2023 can positively impact the tourism and creative economy sectors in ASEAN countries. This includes the support of the IMT-GT program in Indonesia as one of the important outcomes of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo in May 2023.

In the future, any outcome of the side event and the ASEAN Summit during Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship is expected to help achieve the target of 8.5 million foreign tourist visits and open 4.4 million jobs by 2024.

Photo: Illustration of Indonesia's Chairmanship in ASEAN 2023: Epicentrum of Growth (Shutterstock/Setiono Joko Purwanto)