Expats prefer scenery over beaches: Study

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)