'Hip Hop Pass' to entice tourists, but locals still have exit tax
'Hip Hop Pass' to entice tourists, but locals still have exit tax
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As an effort to boost the tourism sector in the country, the
government launched on Wednesday the ASEAN "Hip Hop Pass 2004"
package -- a program that offers a trip to several ASEAN
countries at competitive prices.
State Minister of Tourism and Culture I Gede Ardika said that
the program was aimed at attracting tourists from other southeast
Asian countries to visit ASEAN member countries, including
Indonesia.
"The program is in line with the government's objectives to
boost the tourism sector as most tourists in our country come
from the ASEAN region," said Ardika.
Data from the Office of the State Minister of Tourism and
Culture shows that 45 percent of the 4.4 million tourists
visiting the country last year were from ASEAN countries, 31
percent from other Asian countries and the rest from Western and
Middle-Eastern countries. The ministry is hoping the figure will
go up to 5 million tourists this year.
The ASEAN Hip Hop Pass is a one-year promotion, starting from
April 15, 2004 to March 31, 2005 and is applicable only to
citizens of the 10 ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.
The program comprises three components: Air Pass, Hotel Pass
and Tour Pass.
The Air Pass offers tourists visits to at least two ASEAN
countries with three flight coupons at a price of US$399. For
those who wish to visit more than two ASEAN countries, they can
purchase additional flight coupons at $150 each. However, the
maximum number of flight coupons for each Air Pass cannot exceed
six.
The Hotel Pass offers tourists special room rates of $35, $50
and $70 for participating three-star, four-star and five-star
hotels, respectively. However, the rates are applicable only for
a maximum stay of seven nights per hotel.
The Tour Pass offers tourists airport-hotel-airport ground
transfers at $30 net per passenger, with a minimum of two
passengers traveling. However, it is only available for holders
of the ASEAN Air Pass.
Ardika explained that the program was inexpensive and believed
that it would encourage people from ASEAN countries to visit
their neighbors.
However, the program may be ineffective for outbound
Indonesian tourists, because the Hip Hop Pass does not include
the exorbitant "exit tax" (locally known as fiskal) of Rp 1
million ($117.64), which severely discourages Indonesians from
traveling abroad. None of the other ASEAN countries have such an
exit tax for their own citizens.
To this, Ardika claimed that the government was considering to
either reduce or scrap the high exit tax.
"It (the high tax) is still being discussed. If it is indeed a
disadvantage to outbound tourists, we will either reduce or lift
it," he said.