Govt to reduce 2006 tourism target<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In a year marked by the tsunami that devastated Aceh, a second
\nattack on Bali and outbreaks of polio and bird flu, the
\ngovernment has decided to revise down its target of seven million
\nforeign tourists for next year.<\/p>\n
Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said on Wednesday
\nthe target was unattainable.<\/p>\n
"It is likely that next year's tourist arrivals will be
\naffected by the events of this year. It would be realistic to
\nrevise down the target from seven million to six million," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
This year's target of six million foreign tourists was
\nsimilarly revised down to five million.<\/p>\n
The latest report from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS)
\nshows that foreign arrivals between January and July this year
\nhad declined by 4.08 percent to 2.45 million people, compared to
\nthe same period of last year.<\/p>\n
Last year, 5.3 million foreign tourists traveled to the
\narchipelago, generating some US$5.3 billion in foreign exchange.<\/p>\n
Based on the report, the decline was mainly attributable to
\nuncertainty in the country's security condition, which has
\ntriggered the issuance of warnings from several rich nations
\nagainst travel to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Other factors affecting the tourist industry include the bird
\nflu outbreak, which has killed five people in the country.<\/p>\n
Jero said to accelerate the recovery of the industry, the
\nministry would boost spending for international promotion from
\njust $3 million this year to $18 million next year.<\/p>\n
"We will use the funds to promote our tourism destinations,
\nprimarily in China, India and the Middle East," he said, adding
\nthat the government recently provided visas on arrival in August
\nto accommodate tourists from China and India.<\/p>\n
With the availability of visas on arrival, the government
\nexpects to attract at least 200,000 visitors between August and
\nDecember this year, particularly to the resort islands of Bali
\nand Lombok.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's tourist sector has been in the doldrums since the
\nfirst Bali bombings in October 2002, which killed 202 people,
\nmostly foreign tourists; followed by the bombings at the JW
\nMarriott Hotel and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, in August
\n2003 and September 2004, respectively.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-reduce-2006-tourism-target-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}