City cuts budget for Tourism Agency

JAKARTA. The city administration has decided to cut the 2015 budget allocation for the Tourism Agency from Rp 1.2 trillion (US$96 million) to Rp 650 billion.

Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok“ Tjahaja Purnama questioned the unusual high budget allocation for the agency.

“I want to know, what is that large amount of funds even for? The agency doesn’t need to travel abroad to promote Jakarta to foreigners. It said it needed to print ‘Enjoy Jakarta’ brochures for tourists. I doubt anyone has even seen those brochures,” Ahok told reporters at City Hall after a meeting with the Tourism Agency.

He criticized the agency, saying that it often held similar events that were titled with different names. Separately, Tourism Agency head Arie Budhiman said his agency was currently reorganizing events and projects in order to optimize the amount of funds it would receive.