JAKARTA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's tourism foreign exchange earnings reached 4.05 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2026, up 6.3 percent from a year earlier, Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana said on Wednesday.

The minister also cited data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) showing that international tourist arrivals rose 8.24 percent year on year to 4.68 million during the January-April period.

"The tourism economy reaches villages, drives small and medium-sized enterprises, creates jobs and strengthens regional economies," Widiyanti said during a hearing with the House of Representatives.

She said the government is continuing to expand the economic impact of tourism through the development of tourism villages, support for small businesses and the organization of tourism events across the country. ■