VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Tauhid Ahmad, Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), said international recognition of Indonesia's capabilities will increase when it holds the G20 Presidency in 2022. "This will show that Indonesia still has the ability to organize the world agenda, such as the World Bank or IMF (International Monetary Fund) agenda," Ahmad told ANTARA on Tuesday.

With the G20 Presidency in 2022, Indonesia will be seen as a country with a stable economy and the ability to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

"As a country that is able to organize the G20 Presidency, we will show our ability to hold international events while having a stable economy and effectively handling COVID-19," he stressed.

However, Ahmad predicted that the G20 Presidency may not have a significant impact on the national tourism sector, noting not all representatives of the G20 member countries will visit Indonesia because they are still worried about the spread of COVID-19.

"Because the meeting will start in February 2022, it will be likely an online meeting. People coming from overseas are few, so it will not have much effect on the tourism sector," he explained.

However, if many G20 representatives come to Indonesia, the tourism sector could be boosted by an increase in hotel occupancy, a rise in tourism, and the purchase of souvenirs at tourist sites, he further added.

"In this situation, the economy is moving but not so much, so it is not profitable for the tourism sector," he stated.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will receive the relay baton of the G20 Presidency from the Italian Prime Minister at the G20 Summit closing ceremony in Rome, Italy, October 2021.

Indonesia then will officially hold the G20 Presidency from 1st December, 2021, to November 2022, under the theme, "Recover Together, Recover Stronger."

The 2021-2022 G20 Presidency is Indonesia's first hosting of the event since the forum was established in 1999. (Antaranews)