Expats prefer scenery over beaches: Study

BANDUNG (JP): Most expatriates living in Jakarta prefer going to places that have beautiful scenery and cultural heritage than going to beaches, Mira T. Gunawan of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) said yesterday.

Mira said that a study, conducted by ITB's Tourism Research Center, showed that scenery was classified as ranking first, followed by cultural performances and historical sites, in expatriates' destination choices during holidays.

Beaches, which were usually considered a main tourist attraction, were ranked eighth followed by certain events and children's playgrounds, she said.

"Expats consider Bali 'overcrowded' and enjoy other exotic tourist attractions, such as those found in Flores, Kalimantan, Bunaken in North Sulawesi, Toraja in South Sulawesi, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, and even Maluku and Irian Jaya," she said.

Mira presented the study, conducted jointly with the Jakarta municipality this year, in a two-day seminar.

The results of the study were gathered from 38 out of 220 questionnaires distributed to expatriates, who were living in Jakarta, she said.

So far, the survey did not cover expatriates from other Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, who were also considered as potential tourists to Indonesia, she said.

She explained that the questionnaires were distributed through international community activities, the Jakarta International School, the Indonesian Heritage Association, foreign companies and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).

Out of 38 respondents, 25 preferred spending holidays in Indonesia, nine went to home countries and the remaining four traveled to other countries, she said.

The survey discovered that most respondents gathered information on tourist destinations from friends, travel agents, advertisements and travel magazines.

"Most respondents spend from Rp 2 million (US$819.6) to Rp 4 million on their vacations, excluding transportation costs," she said.

Items bought by expatriates during holidays included clothes, jewelry, wood handicrafts, ceramics and leather products, she said.

Among the respondents, 12 have been living in Jakarta for five years, 10 between two and five years, eight between one and two years, seven between six months and one year and the rest have been here between three and six months.

In the survey, expatriates also suggested that the government improve roads leading to tourist sites and provide adequate transportation means and fast immigration services, as well as reduce flight cancellations and overbooking.

They also demanded professional services, communication facilities in tourist sites, security, access to information and better language ability of those involved in tourism, Mira said. (ste)