JP\/4\/ED-25B<\/p>\n
ASEAN tourism meeting<\/p>\n
The tourism ministers from the 10-member Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started their annual meeting in
\nYogyakarta on Thursday to draft a major ASEAN Tourism Agreement,
\nto be signed by ASEAN leaders during their summit in Cambodia
\nlater this year. The agreement will pave the way for the
\nliberalization of the tourism industry in the region in line with
\nthe implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) starting
\nJan. 1 this year.<\/p>\n
Despite disheartening reports about the a steep fall-off in
\nthe number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia, we
\nnevertheless feel upbeat about the meeting. Due to security
\nproblems and continuous negative international media reports,
\nIndonesia's attractions are not immediately obvious to many
\nforeign visitors.<\/p>\n
The Sept. 11 horror further worsened the situation. Following
\nanti-U.S. demonstrations and threats of sweeping against
\nforeigners in several cities, about 1.3 million tourists
\nreportedly canceled their trips to Indonesia. In 2001, the
\ngovernment estimated that 5.1 million foreign tourists came to
\nIndonesia through the country's 13 main entry points. Most of the
\nforeigners visited Bali, Jakarta and Batam. For this year, the
\nnumber of tourist arrivals is unlikely to increase.<\/p>\n
However, despite the global downturn, Indonesia must realize
\nthat it cannot just complain or wait for world economic recovery,
\nor for close cooperation with other nations, to improve the
\nsituation. Only through hard work and effective action can we
\nachieve our goals.<\/p>\n
It seems that the government and the tourism industry here has
\nnever seriously tried to learn from the success of its more
\naggressive neighbors, such as Singapore and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Bali only represents a small part of Indonesia's beauty,
\nexoticism and mystique. But the small island has become the most
\nattractive destination for most foreign tourists visiting here.
\nApart from the infrastructure, people in the island are much more
\nprepared and conscious in their everyday lives about the vital
\nneed for tourists.<\/p>\n
Other major destinations are Batam and Yogyakarta. Batam is
\nmostly visited by Singaporeans, who live just a few miles from
\nthe island, and many of whom come to the island on short breaks.
\nYogyakarta is another favorite destination due its rich heritage
\nand cultural assets.<\/p>\n
But how to attract foreign guests if they are not treated as
\nthey expect? There are so many problems at the moment hampering
\ntourism development, like safety threats, poor infrastructure,
\npoor overseas promotion, and the corrupt and venal mentality of
\nour government officials.<\/p>\n
Statistics show that most of the tourists visiting Indonesia
\ncome from Asia. It is very important to provide satisfaction for
\nthese potential big spenders. But look at the treatment they
\nreceive at the airports, for instance. There are many reports
\nabout the negative behavior of immigration, and customs and
\nexcise officers at Sukarno-Hatta airport. They often force
\npeople, not just foreigners but also members of certain ethnic
\ngroups, such as Chinese Indonesians, to pay bribes if they want a
\nhassle-free journey.<\/p>\n
Toilet attendants ask for tips. Convenient and safe public
\ntransportation is just a dream. Illegal taxi drivers or scalpers
\nsurround arriving passengers to tout their services. Getting a
\nreliable taxi is another luxury. And this is just at the airport.<\/p>\n
Many foreign countries discourage their citizens from visiting
\neither the whole of Indonesia or various trouble spots such as
\nPapua and Aceh. Foreigners who come here expect to find peace,
\nsafety and order. If they cannot get it here, they can easily
\nfind it in other countries.<\/p>\n
We hope the Yogyakarta meeting will produce concrete results
\nfor the participating countries, and not just empty words and
\ndocuments.<\/p>\n
The meeting will mean much for a hard currency-hungry nation
\nlike Indonesia if it helps to significantly increase the number
\nof foreign tourist arrivals.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is entitled to have high expectations of the
\nmeeting, but it will also have to clean up its own messy house
\nbefore inviting the tourists to come.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp4ed-25b-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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