Hidayat optimistic on RI's tourism targets

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister for Tourism and the Arts Hidayat Jaelani is confident that Indonesia will meet its tourism target of 5.1 million foreign visitors and $5 billion in income this year, with some help from Chinese tourists.

Hidayat pointed out that the number of foreigners arriving at Indonesia's 13 entry points reached 1.59 million between January and May, up from 1.55 million in the same period last year, Antara reported.

He also underlined a new tourism cooperation agreement between Indonesia and China which he said should bolster the number of tourist arrivals into this country.

Indonesia has eased visa application procedures for visitors from China, and is now negotiating with Beijing for a visa-free facility on a reciprocal basis.

If the tourist arrivals target is achieved, it would almost restore Indonesia's tourism industry to the levels prevailing prior to the 1997 financial crisis.

The number of visitor arrivals reached a record 5.18 million in 1997 before it fell to 4.61 million in 1998. The figure recovered to 4.73 million visitors last year.

In terms of revenue, tourism brought in $5.3 billion in 1997, $4.3 billion in 1998 and $4.7 billion in 1999.

Hidayat said his office was striving to make tourism the profitable business it was in 1996 when it earned a record $6.3 billion from the 5.03 million foreigners who visited Indonesia.

The 13 points of entry into Indonesia consist of airports in Jakarta, Bali, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, East Java, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara, North Sulawesi, and South Sulawesi; sea ports in Batam, Jakarta, and Riau; and a land-border crossing in Entikong, West Kalimantan.

Also expected to bolster the number of tourist arrivals in the coming years is the government's plan to expand the number of countries eligible for visa-free facilities, Hidayat said.

He disclosed that at least 20 countries will be added to the existing list of 48 countries whose residents receive a visa on arrival when they visit Indonesia.

Countries benefiting from this visa-free facility include the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Britain, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt, Mexico, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, and Hong Kong.

Hidayat acknowledged that the plan to expand the facility ran into some opposition from within the government based upon the argument that Indonesia would lose $50 million in visa fees a year.

But he pointed out that Indonesia could gain an additional $2 billion in revenues each year through accommodation, souvenirs, and tourist facilities if it expanded the privilege to more countries. (10)