Indonesian sees recovery in tourism industry

Indonesian sees recovery in tourism industry

SINGAPORE (AFP): Indonesian tourism authorities expressed
confidence Wednesday the country's battered travel industry will
recover this year in the wake of negative publicity over
sectarian riots.

"Indonesia is so big, so people try to simplify what is
happening in the country", said Pontjo Sutowo, chairman of the
Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board.

"So far, I don't see any tourist destinations (in Indonesia)
being unsafe," he said at a news briefing held on the sidelines
of the Pacific Asia Travel Association's trade conference here.

I Gede Ardika, Indonesia's director general of tourism, said
visitor arrivals to Indonesia rose almost 10 percent from a year
ago to 306,194 in February, following a drop of 3.5 percent in
January.

"Still, it gives us encouragement for the rest of the year,"
Ardika said.

Parts of Indonesia, particularly West Kalimantan, have been
rocked by a series of outbreaks of ethnic and sectarian violence
in the past months, leaving hundreds dead.

Political instability and ethnic violence which followed the
resignation of former strongman Soeharto saw tourist arrivals to
Indonesia plunge for the first time in a decade by 16.4 percent
from 1997 to 4.3 million in 1998.

Indonesia's earnings from tourism dropped 13 percent from 1997
to US$4.7 billion last year, authorities said. The earnings
accounted for nearly 38 percent of Indonesia's 1998 gross
domestic product.

Pontjo said he did not expect a huge decline in tourist
arrivals as Indonesia gears up for its first democratic elections
in June.

Unlike 1998, where events were unpredictable, "this election
is pre-arranged," he said.

Tourist arrivals "might level off during the elections, but we
do not expect to see a decline as big as last year's," he added.

Ardika said Indonesian authorities would provide "transparent
information" that would reflect the real situation in parts of
Indonesia to help counter the negative publicity that has hounded
the travel industry.

"I admit we have had some trouble spots (in Indonesia)," said
Indonesia's Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Marzuki Usman.

"But let me tell you that it is not as bad as it looks," he
said in a speech late Tuesday.

The strong presence of Indonesia's tourism and travel industry
in the regional conference was proof of their confidence that
"their destinations are safe and the tourism product is still
intact," he added.

Indonesia's private sector is leading the initiative to boost
tourism.

Among the policies underway to attract visitors to Indonesia
is the extension of a special visa allowing elderly retired
tourists to stay in the country for up to six years.

Famed Buddhist and Hindu temple sites would be open for
worship to promote pilgrimages to these areas, and the government
has a program to encourage local communities to play a larger
role in tourism development, Marzuki said.