News - Bandung's Tourism Rebounds, Farhan Optimistic Economic Growth Will Surpass 5%

Bandung's Tourism Rebounds, Farhan Optimistic Economic Growth Will Surpass 5%

Jan, 08 2026

Bisnis.com, BANDUNG— Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan is optimistic that the city's Economic Growth Rate (LPE) can stabilize above 5%, referring to several macro indicators.

One factor that strengthens Farhan's optimism is the performance of the tourism sector, which is considered to be improving.

Previously, Farhan acknowledged that Bandung's tourism sector faced two major blows throughout the previous year. These impacts included budget efficiency policies at the beginning of the year and a drastic decline in visits during the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr periods.

Furthermore, security disturbances at the end of August also negatively impacted tourism performance, particularly in September. Nevertheless, Farhan emphasized that his office has seen a recovery trend in the past three months.

This indication of recovery is reinforced by increased economic activity, occupancy rates, and the presence of various events in Bandung. Although official tourist visit data is still being finalized, this positive trend is already reflected in macroeconomic performance.

Bandung's economic growth rate was recorded at 4.99% in the first quarter, then increased to 5.43% in the second quarter. This figure then stabilized at 5.26% in the third quarter, demonstrating the resilience of the local economy.

Farhan stated that this positive achievement must be maintained to strengthen the city's economic foundation.

"This serves as initial capital, a kind of springboard, to drive stronger economic growth going forward," he said at Bandung City Hall.

Therefore, his office will continue to strengthen leading sectors as the main drivers of the economy. These include tourism, culture, sports, and creative events, which are the main priorities for driving this growth.

[SOURCE]

The Bogor Regional Government remains open to investment opportunities in Puncak, with the following conditions

Bogor Regency, West Java (ANTARA) - The Bogor Regency Government, West Java, has confirmed that investment opportunities in the Puncak tourist area remain open, provided that investors abide by the applicable environmental management procedures and regulations. Bogor Regency Secretary Ajat Rochmat Jatnika said that the regency government would not impose a moratorium on environmental approvals in Puncak as long as these regulations were consistently implemented. “As long as environmental procedures and regulations are followed when investing in Bogor Regency, especially in Puncak, there is no need for the regency government to impose a moratorium on environmental approvals,” Ajat said in Cibinong, West Java, on Wednesday. He emphasized that environmental management must be carried out based on the principle of sustainability in order to provide added value to the economy and society, while minimizing potential damage to nature. According to him, many investors have obtained environmental approvals but have not used them as guidelines in their development and operations. This condition risks triggering the revocation of permits by higher authorities. “After obtaining environmental approval, it must be implemented in the field during development and operations,” he said. To prevent violations, the Bogor Regency Environment Agency (DLH) routinely conducts field monitoring and provides reminders so that all activities comply with the approved environmental approval documents. Ajat also urged the DLH to prevent violations by conducting routine field monitoring and providing reminders so that all activities comply with the approved environmental approval documents. To prevent violations, the Bogor Regency Environment Agency (DLH) routinely conducts field monitoring and provides reminders so that all activities are in accordance with the approved environmental permit documents. Ajat also urged business actors in the Puncak area not to view environmental permits as mere administrative requirements, but as key guidelines in preserving the environment amid investment activities. Previously, the Minister of Environment (LH)/Head of the Environmental Control Agency, Hanif Faisol Nurrofiq, had revoked a number of environmental approvals in the Puncak area, Bogor Regency, West Java, which were deemed not in accordance with the provisions on spatial utilization and environmental protection. He said the revocation was carried out because business operators did not immediately comply with the demolition orders that had been issued previously. In total, there are 33 business units located on the operational cooperation (KSO) land of PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN), and 9 of them had previously had permits but have now been officially revoked by the Ministry of Environment. [SOURCE]

Nov, 26 2025

The Threat of Layoffs in Manufacturing Industry Remains High Despite the Flowing Investment

The country's manufacturing industry is not in good shape. Although the flow of investment in the manufacturing industry is relatively heavy, the trend of layoffs in this sector is also relatively large. Referring to the report of the Ministry of Investment / Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), manufacturing investment realization grew 24.68% year on year (yoy) to IDR 337 trillion in the first semester of 2024. The manufacturing industry contributed 40.6% of the total national investment realization. However, the wave of layoffs continues to occur in the manufacturing industry, especially in the textile and textile products (TPT) sector, which is a labor-intensive sector. The Confederation of Workers Unions of the Archipelago (KSPN) stated that there were 14,500 textile workers who were laid off from the beginning of the year to July 2024. This number has the potential to increase to 15,000 workers given the planned closure of a textile factory in Bandung, West Java in August. Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Shinta W. Kamdani stated that the potential for layoffs in the manufacturing industry still exists, especially in labor-intensive export-oriented sectors such as TPT. This sector has experienced tremendous pressure both in terms of market and business cost inflation. “Other manufacturing subsectors have a less risk of layoffs, but there is potential for a prolonged hiring freeze,” he said on Tuesday (30/7). In general, Apindo estimates that the condition of the manufacturing industry will be more challenging until the end of the year. Apart from being triggered by an increase in business operating costs as a side effect of the rupiah exchange rate correction, people's purchasing power has also not stabilized so that market demand has decreased. Not only that, some businesses are also still waiting and seeing for business expansion due to the government transition. SOURCE

Jul, 31 2024

DPRD Encourages West Java Provincial Government to Increase Job Opportunities

PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The West Java Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that the percentage of poor people in March 2024 was 7.46 percent, a decrease of 0.16 percentage points against March 2023 and a decrease of 0.52 percentage points against September 2022. BPS West Java also noted that the percentage of the urban poor population in March 2023 amounted to 7.19 percent, declining to 7.07 percent in March 2024. Meanwhile, the percentage of the rural poor in March 2023 was 9.30 percent, down to 9 point 07 percent in March 2024. West Java DPRD member Yod Mintaraga asked the West Java Provincial Government to continue to reduce and alleviate poverty with various programs, one of which is by increasing employment opportunities. "Poverty in West Java is partly due to the high unemployment rate which is also the cause of the large number of unemployed, if there is a lot of unemployment, the purchasing power is low," said Yod Mintaraga, when contacted some time ago. According to Yod, employment is very helpful for people to improve their welfare and to emphasize the unemployment rate in West Java which has a population of nearly 50 million. "To increase employment, investment in West Java needs to be encouraged towards employment so that unemployment decreases," he said. (SOURCE)

Jul, 12 2024

Distribution of Foreign Investment in 2023, Mostly Entering West Java

According to data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), throughout 2023 Indonesia will receive foreign investment realization of around US$50.27 billion. The largest portion of foreign investment (PMA) went to West Java, with a value of US$8.28 billion or 16.5% of the total FDI. Apart from West Java, other provinces in the top 3 are Central Sulawesi and North Maluku with details of PMA values as shown in the graph. Meanwhile, according to Katadata Insight Center (KIC) and Grant Thornton, the top 3 provinces on this list have benefited from foreign investment related to the electric vehicle industry. In the Unraveling Indonesia's Prospects in 2024 report, KIC-Grant Thornton said there were several battery factories being developed in West Java. "One of them is the PT HKML Battery Indonesia factory in Karawang, which is one of the largest electric vehicle battery producers in Southeast Asia," they said. KIC-Grant Thornton also said that foreign investment in Central Sulawesi and North Maluku mainly goes into the nickel sector, a raw material for making batteries. "Because nickel is a key strategic sector, North Maluku is likely to continue to benefit from development of this sector in the medium and long term," wrote KIC-Grant Thornton in its report. "Similar to North Maluku, Central Sulawesi has also benefited from large investments in nickel mining and related manufacturing activities," they said. (SOURCE)

Mar, 14 2024

Cirebon Regency Government Facilitates 11 Investors in Managing Environmental Permits

Cirebon (ANTARA) – The Government of Cirebon Regency, West Java, is facilitating 11 investors to manage environmental permits because issuing these documents is a key requirement for industrial licensing, enabling investment activities to proceed. Hilmi Rivai, Head of the Investment and One-Stop Integrated Service Office (DPMPTSP) of Cirebon Regency, said the office assists investors so that they are not hindered in the licensing process, particularly in preparing environmental management effort documents (UPL). “Many business license applications cannot be processed because the submitted documents are incomplete or do not match field conditions,” said Hilmi Rivai in Cirebon on Thursday. The office noted that the investment value currently queued in Cirebon is around IDR 1.7 trillion, with a planned workforce absorption of 10,000 people. He mentioned that many UPL documents submitted do not meet standards because the report compilers merely copy from general templates without adjusting to actual field conditions. According to him, such documents generally contain invalid data, incorrect location maps, and unclear waste management plans. On this basis, the regional government through the DPMPTSP of Cirebon Regency assists investors in managing these documents. “There must be actual data, accurate maps, and technical plans for waste management,” he explained. He noted that the environmental permit process is relatively long because it requires a detailed review at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLH). Hilmi said that generally, the review covers groundwater use, waste disposal systems, and impacts on the surrounding community. “We only facilitate. The decision remains with KLH. The principle is that industry should not be established first and problems appear afterward,” he said. He added that DPMPTSP is currently undertaking two strategies: encouraging the use of credible environmental consultants and providing intensive consultation opportunities from the start. In addition, coordination with KLH is carried out to streamline bureaucracy considered unnecessary so that document evaluations can be faster without sacrificing verification quality. Hilmi emphasized that accelerating permits should not overlook environmental aspects. Investment must be welcomed while safeguarding the environment. He noted that actual investment realization up to August 2025 in Cirebon Regency reached IDR 2.25 trillion, or about 65 percent of the annual target of IDR 3.2 trillion. They do not want investors to leave merely because of technical issues, but the regulations must still be enforced. “If business actors comply and prepare the documents correctly, the process actually does not take long,” he said. [SOURCE]

Dec, 09 2025

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