(08/10/2024) - PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BNI is aggressively developing its business in the service sector, especially in the tourism and health industries. This step is in line with the government's efforts to boost Indonesia's economic growth through sectors that have a significant multiplier effect, including the hospitality industry.
BNI Director of Digital and Integrated Transaction Banking Hussein Paolo Kartadjoemena revealed that the banking sector plays a significant role in accelerating the growth of the tourism industry. He asserts that this sector is one of the primary engines of the economy, capable of generating a significant number of jobs and enhancing people's welfare.
“The hospitality industry has great potential to continue to grow. Currently, hundreds of hotels and their supporting infrastructure are funded by banks, including BNI,” said Paolo in a discussion themed ‘A New Driving Force for Indonesia's Economic Growth’, at the BNI Investor Daily Summit 2024, which was held at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Tuesday (8/10/2024).
BNI is also taking a strategic role in the Sanur Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Bali, which focuses on developing world-class health tourism. Paolo explained that BNI and its subsidiary, BNI Sekuritas, were involved in preparing a feasibility study for infrastructure development in the area.
Through innovative banking products and services, BNI supports the operations of Sanur SEZ by providing integrated digital solutions to facilitate tourists in making transactions.
“In Sanur, we focus on creating a seamless experience for tourists, especially in terms of payment. With an integrated system, tourists can make transactions at hotels, hospitals and other places with just one digital wallet. This will make it easier for them to shop or pay for health services,” he explained.
BNI is currently building an outlet in Sanur SEZ to provide banking services with integrated solutions, one of which is the healthcare ecosystem. To facilitate transactions, BNI also prepares payment solutions through Virtual Account, QRIS, BNIdirect, TapCash, to Electronic Data Capture (EDC).
“When it comes to customer experience, tourists from abroad will be able to make payments easily, domestically there is QRIS, from China there is Alipay, so we need payment infrastructure for tourists to make it easy to shop in Indonesia,” he said.
Paolo added that the Sanur SEZ, dubbed The Sanur, will be a world-class destination for wellness and tourism. The area is designed to utilize 41.6 hectares of land in the Grand Inna Bali Beach area, with integrated health and tourism facilities of international standards.
The presence of Sanur SEZ is expected to attract more tourists, both domestic and international, and strengthen the potential of health tourism in Indonesia. With BNI's support, this area is expected to become a center for health services and tourism that will have a significant impact on Indonesia's economic growth in the future.
BNI's expansion is in line with the government's vision to achieve economic growth of 6-8% by 2029 through the development of strategic sectors, including tourism and health. (*)