THE CONDUCT OF INDONESIA’S ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY THROUGH TOURISM PROMOTION TO UNITED KINGDOM UNDER JOKO WIDODO – JUSUF KALLA’S ADMINISTRATION ( 2014 – 2018 )

Abstract

The massive dynamics of globalization in current days has shift the world to the new order. One of the signs that occur caused by globalization is the phenomena of free trade market, where all the countries are competing each other and the practice of economic diplomacy become one of the important instruments for the government to exercise for the sake of gaining power and prosperity. Indonesia under Joko Widodo – Jusuf Kalla’s administration (2014 -2018) have a priority in his foreign policy which is to strengthen Indonesia economic diplomacy by exercising the potential sector Indonesia has. In recent years Indonesia experience significant growth number of tourist arrivals and it is generating higher foreign exchange and turns out tourism sector become top five GDP contribution to Indonesia. Considering its potential in tourism sector in the book of National Medium-Term Development Plan, President and Vice President aware that it is indeed to put more attention and develop the tourism sector. This thesis explores Indonesia’s tourism promotion activity as a tool to conduct economic diplomacy to United Kingdom. The author will use qualitative research method to gather the perspectives from previous studies and analyzing the data gathered from Ministry of Tourism and the author uses three theories there are Neoliberalism, Soft Power, and Economic Diplomacy this thesis aiming to illustrate the connection between the tourism promotion activity as a tool for Indonesia to conduct economic diplomacy especially to United Kingdom. As a result, Indonesia has conduct in total 11 tourism promotion activities as a tool of Indonesia’s economic diplomacy and included in phase II and phase III of economic diplomacy theory proposed by Kishan S. Rana.