Govt won't revise 2002 foreign tourist target

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian government has no plan to revise its tourism targets for 2002 despite a 30 percent drop in the number of tourists visiting Indonesia in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, a minister said on Thursday.

State Minister of Tourism and Culture I Gede Ardika said the government still aimed at attracting 5.1 million foreign tourists this year and 5.8 million next year.

He noted that earlier, the government was optimistic it would reach its target this year, considering that the number of tourist arrivals from January to August grew 6.5 percent.

"However, due to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the number of foreign tourists (coming to Indonesia) has decreased by 30 percent," he said as quoted by Antara.

Ardika said the government would continue to monitor the macroeconomic condition both at the national and international levels but this would not influence its decision in setting tourism targets.

A change in target for foreign tourist arrivals would have an impact on a number of government policies, he said.

Last year, Indonesia's tourist arrivals totaled 5.1 million, 2.05 million of whom came from ASEAN countries.

The government previously revised the 2001 tourist arrivals target from 5.4 million to 5.1 million.

Reports earlier said some 1.3 million foreign tourists had canceled their trips to the country following widespread anti- U.S. rallies in Jakarta and other major cities in Indonesia.