Govt to suspend idle travel agencies

JAKARTA (JP): The government will intensify the supervision of travel agencies and will shut down those that are not active or performing poorly, an official said.

"The Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications ruled in January 1993 that every travel agency or tour operator, including its branches, must report its operations every six months," deputy director general of tourism Azhari Abdullah told reporters here yesterday.

He said that since January last year, more than 20 inactive travel agencies have been suspended.

"As they did not have any activity, they could not make any report," he said, refusing to name the agencies.

He also said that another 11 travel agencies in North Sumatra will be closed down next month as they have been inactive over the last six months.

The semester reports, he said, must include information on travel packages, numbers of tourists being handled and financial performance.

Director General of Tourism Andi Mappi Sammeng said earlier that Jakarta and Bali have been closed to new travel agencies.

Andi said he will encourage private businessmen to run travel agencies or branch offices in the other provinces, especially in the lesser-known destinations.

Data from the Directorate of Tourism showed that there were 1,539 travel agencies operating in 1993, up by 14.6 percent from 1,342 in 1992. Of the total, 426 were located in Jakarta and 143 in Bali. (icn)