Govt policies killing tourism

Govt policies killing tourism

In his letter On shop-house hotels in Batam in The Jakarta Post, April 18) Yohannes Yansen blames Batam's low hotel occupancy on a downturn in the island's economy.

The problem is not exclusive to Batam. Three other major tourist destinations are even worse off: Tretes-Bromo, Yogyakarta and Lake Toba. At least Batam has not yet gone into the downward spiral of boarded up hotels and abandoned shopping areas that the visitor sees in Tretes and Lake Toba.

For well-heeled tourists from the wealthy OECD countries, Indonesia is losing its allure to destinations that more aggressively welcome foreigners, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Indonesia should make up its mind whether it wants to welcome foreign tourists or not. If it seriously wants this business, it should make a big effort to introduce real policies that make guests feel welcome, such as useful tourist information, user- friendly airports and immigration procedures.

While business-minded Singapore goes ahead with plans to build large integrated casino resorts, Indonesia's stop-go policies confuse visitors -- do we want to be in the casino and nightlife entertainment business or not?

The government of wealthy Singapore said the other day that it cannot afford to let the tourist dollar slip through its fingers. Indonesia behaves as if it does not need the business.

EVAN JONES, Batam