Government lowers this year's tourist arrivals target

Government lowers this year's tourist arrivals target

JAKARTA (JP): The government has revised down its foreign
tourist arrivals target for this year about 15 percent to 5.5
million from the initial projection of 6.5 million.

Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture Abdul Latief said
yesterday that the target needed adjusting to reflect the real
trend of foreign tourist arrivals into the country.

Latief said negative reports on Indonesia by foreign media had
severely tarnished the country's image and prompted many tourists
to cancel their trips.

As a result, many airlines had also reduced their flights to
Indonesia due to the decline in inbound passengers, the minister
said.

"The negative coverage on forest fires and the monetary crisis
has seriously affected the number of tourist arrivals," Latief
said after meeting with President Soeharto at his residence on
Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta.

The President has changed the previous ministry of tourism,
post and telecommunications into the Ministry of Tourism, Arts
and Culture to enable the minister to concentrate on making the
tourism sector the largest foreign exchange earner in the next
millennium.

Last year, the number of foreign tourist arrivals was 5.04
million, much lower than the government's target of 5.3 million.

Foreign exchange receipts from the tourism sector were US$6.62
billion, or about $1 billion below the original target.

Analysts believe riots, which took place in several parts of
the country before and after the general election last May, had
discouraged foreign tourists from visiting Indonesia.

Latief did not set any income targets for this year but was
confident the country would be able to earn $15 billion a year by
2003 from tourism.

Latief's predecessor Joop Ave earlier said that natural
disasters and fears about plane crashes, as well as the monetary
crisis also contributed to the decrease.

In September an Airbus A-300 owned by Garuda Indonesia crashed
on a routine flight from Jakarta to Medan shortly before landing,
killing all 234 passengers and crew on board. Poor visibility
caused by the haze was suspected to be the cause.

Latief said he would promote shopping tourism to Indonesia
especially in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Bali.

In the initial phase he would launch massive campaigns to
promote the famous Mangga Dua shopping center (clothing) in
Jakarta and the Cibaduyut market in Bandung, West Java, (shoes
and clothing).

"The President said tourism should be linked to the
empowerment of the people's economy," he noted.

The minister pledged to educate tourism officials on the
importance of the continuous promotion of Indonesia.

"I will ask the ministry officials and their families to wear
Batik on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays," he said without
explaining the effectiveness of the batik in luring tourists from
abroad. (prb)