ASEAN and South Korea target more than 20 million two-way tourist visits
Tourism officials meeting in Jakarta discussed easier travel, workforce development and shared service standards.
ASEAN and South Korea are seeking more than 20 million tourist visits in both directions, up from 13 million, Indonesia's Tourism Ministry said. The effort would combine easier travel with better tourism services and wider use of digital technology.
Martini M. Paham, the ministry's Deputy for Human Resources and Institutions, outlined the goal at the 2026 ASEAN-Korea Roundtable on Tourism, held in Jakarta on Nov. 5. She said cooperation would involve pilot projects, common regional service frameworks and digital tools spanning the travel experience.
During the two-day gathering, officials and tourism representatives examined safety, obstacles to travel, workforce development and understanding of cultural differences. Technical working groups will take forward their recommendations to develop institutional measures.
The Jakarta discussions built on the first roundtable in Da Nang, Vietnam, which assessed conditions, enabled policy exchanges between countries and identified barriers to tourist movement. The latest meeting focused on turning that work into shared projects, including closer alignment of service standards and improved digital services.
ASEAN received approximately 147 million international arrivals in 2025, with nearly 42 per cent originating within the region. More than 9.6 million South Korean tourists visit Southeast Asia annually.
