Ministry Of Education, Tourism Sign MOU On Torism Development

DEPOK, W Java, Jan 27 (Antara) - The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Tourism have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop educational and culture based tourism. "We expect that the tourism vocational school graduates can be absorbed in the tourism industry, which is one of the strategic sectors in national development," Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy said here on Thursday. The MoU was an important step to continue the good relations between the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Tourism. "The Ministry of Education and Culture is designing activities in schools that will last from Monday to Friday. Meanwhile, Saturday and Sunday can be used as family day and travel day," The government also mandated that the tourism sector's growth can be expedited to support economic growth. In addition to the infrastructure, maritime, energy and food sectors, tourism was also one of the sectors to be accorded priority in national development. Of the five sectors, tourism was defined as the leading sector because it could help grow the economy in the short, medium and long term. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya noted that the tourism sector can add 13 percent to the 2017 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. "Culture-based tourism will be the future of the national economy," the minister stressed. "One of the things that attract foreign tourists is Indonesian culture. We will cooperate with the Ministry of Education and Culture to publish a cultural calendar," the minister informed.