To promote the tourism cooperation between China and Indonesia after the pandemic, China-Indonesia Tourism and Investment Forum was held at Lake Toba in the Sumatra Utara of Indonesia recently. The forum was held both online and offline. Zhang Xu, vice cultural and tourism minister of China, delivered a speech through video at the invitation.

    Zhang Xu said that this year was the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between China and Indonesia. In the past 70 years, the two countries’ relationship enjoyed great development and people-to-people communication had been active. In recent years, there had been highlights in cooperation of cultural heritage, cultural art, people-to-people communication, cultural industry and tourism industry. In the November of this year, when the two countries were cooperating to fight against the pandemic, Chinese officials went to Indonesia to participate in the 2020 “National Culture Week” despite the long distance to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. At the event, the friendship between the people of the two countries was praised, which gained positive social response, injecting new driving force into the bilateral friendship. He said that the pandemic was a shock to tourism of both states, but relating communication and cooperation didn’t stop and showed tenacity. Rich tourism resource in China and Indonesia had great potential to attract inbound tourism and had space for cooperation in the investment and development of tourist sites. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China would like to work with the Ministry of Maritime and Investment Coordination of Indonesia to push the sustainable development in China-Indonesia tourism cooperation by innovating methods, expanding areas and deepening collaboration.

    Minister of Maritime and Investment Coordination of Indonesia attended the forum and delivered a speech. Other attendees included officials from Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Innovative Economy as well as experts and representatives from two countries’ tourism research institutions, tourism associations and aviation enterprises.