Iraq war to affect local tourist industry

Ainur R. Sophiaan and A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya/Jakarta

The tourist industry, especially in East Java and West Java, is bracing for a slump in case the Iraq war is drawn out, said local leaders in the industry on Tuesday.

The expected decline is mainly caused by transportation problems and tourists' concern for their safety, they said separately.

Natsir, an official at the tourism office of the East Java administration, predicted that the tourist industry in the province might decrease by 50 percent due to the Iraq war.

The decline was attributed to feelings of insecurity among tourists as their flights would pass the war zone in the Middle East en route to Indonesia.

"Due to the fear, it is certain that they would cancel their plan to visit Indonesia," said Natsir.

Western tourists, mostly from Germany and the Netherlands, usually visit archaeological sites, such as Panataran Temple in Blitar, museums or watch traditional puppet shows.

Such a gloomy outlook is also foreseen in West Java, said Memet H. Hamdan, the head of tourism office of the West Java administration. He said that European and Middle-Eastern tourists might shy away from visiting the province due to the Iraq war.

Initially, Hamdan admitted that the flights, especially from Europe, could take an alternative route in order to avoid the war zone.

However, this was not an option for tourists, because taking an alternative route would mean they would take longer to reach Indonesia and cost them more money, he said.

He said the expected decline in the number of Middle-Eastern and European tourists visiting Indonesia would affect the provincial revenue.

"Some 30 percent to 35 percent of the 300,000 tourists visiting West Java annually come from the Middle East," said Hamdan as quoted by Antara.

Besides transportation problems, local sentiments, could also cause a downturn in the industry.

They said that, the anti-U.S. rallies would discourage tourists from coming to Indonesia.

"We must be prudent in responding to developments in the Iraq war, so that Western tourists are still interested in visiting Indonesia," Setyanto P. Santosa, the head of the Indonesian Tourism and Cultural Development Agency, told Antara.

In order to survive, local leaders in the tourist industry agreed that they must attract local tourists.

"Don't undervalue the local tourists. They have the potential to keep the local tourist industry afloat," said Natsir.

In West Java, according to Hamdan, most tourists are local. In West Java some 36 million to 37 million local tourists visit tourist attractions in West Java annually.

"Local tourist enterprises must be sharp in observing this potential, so that the predicted decline in the local tourist industry due to Iraq war does not materialize," said Hamdan.