Austria expects 20% rise in Indonesian tourists

JAKARTA (JP): Austria expects a 20 percent increase in the number of Indonesian visitors to the country to about 9,600 this year from 8,000 in 1996.

Oskar Andesner, the director of the Austrian National Tourist Office, said here yesterday he was optimistic that more Indonesian tourists would travel to Austria as Indonesia's middle class continued to grow.

"Economic development in Indonesia is growing by 8 percent yearly, and travel is increasingly booming," he said yesterday.

Andesner said the number of Indonesian tourists was still lower than tourists from other Southeast Asian countries.

The number of Thai tourists to visit Austria increased sharply to 35,000 people last year from 8,000 people in the past few years as a result of the country's rapid economic development.

"Thailand is only several years ahead of Indonesia economically," he added.

Austria, whose economy relies heavily on tourism, now focuses more on attracting visitors from Asian countries than those from neighboring Europe, he said.

Visitors from Asia tend to spend more money than European tourists, he said, adding that the average expenditure of visitors from Indonesia or Thailand usually amounts to US$3,300 a person during a six or seven-night stay.

One of the main appeals of Austria to Asian visitors is shopping, he said. Other attractions include the natural landscape and historical buildings, he said.

To accommodate tourists, the government has even extended shopping hours, he said.

"Shopping places that used to be open between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on a weekday and close at noon on Saturday, are now allowed to open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays and all day Saturday," he said.

Shopping centers in tourist areas can even open on Sunday now, he said.

The highest number of Asian tourists to Vienna come from Japan, and total 100,000 people. Taiwan and Thailand follow closely behind.

The main reason the high number of tourists come from these countries is the direct flights to Austria, he said.

There are currently no direct flights to Austria from Indonesia, so tourists have to go via Singapore to reach Austria, he said.

However, Lauda Air, an Austrian private airline, plans to open a flight service in Indonesia as part of the airline's restructuring programs, he said.

"The national airline, Austrian Airline, has just bought 35 percent of Lauda Air's shares, so there's a possibility that the airline will start providing a flight service here," he said. (02)