Jakarta (ANTARA) -
Indonesia's 2026 Mandalika MotoGP boosted sports tourism, drawing a record crowd and generating an estimated Rp5 trillion (US$271.9 million) in multiplier economic impact, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said in a statement on Monday.
"Sports is a tourism segment with significant potential for further development. Globally, sports have proven to be an effective driver of tourism. We must continue developing sports tourism in Indonesia," she said.
The minister said the event attracted tourists, generated economic benefits for local communities and has become a national strategic agenda for sports tourism.
Attendance and international attention have grown annually.
This year's race at Mandalika Circuit in West Nusa Tenggara drew more than 150,000 visitors.
The impact strengthens the race's role as a regional economic driver.
A National Development Planning Agency study estimated last year's event added between Rp2.7 trillion (US$146.8 million) and Rp4.7 trillion (US$255.6 million) to the national economy.
The benefits spread across hospitality, transportation, food services and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which saw more business as tourists arrived.
The effect spans sectors, from "hotel occupancy rates reaching 100 percent in the Mandalika area and 90 percent in Central Lombok and Mataram City" to higher air passenger numbers and MSME turnover, Widiyanti said.
International sporting events play a key role in promoting inclusive economic growth around tourism destinations by drawing visitors and creating business opportunities, she said.
The race's success should serve as momentum to sustain economic benefits beyond the event through continued tourist arrivals and long-term activity, she added.
Sports tourism has become a global industry linking sports, tourism, media and the creative economy, she noted. Her ministry is committed to developing the sector to boost tourism's economic contribution.
Her ministry works with the Youth and Sports Ministry to optimize sports tourism potential, improve international event quality and expand benefits for the industry and communities.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma S, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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