Jakarta to host tourism mart despite crisis

JAKARTA (JP): The government is proceeding with its plan to host its annual international tourism mart next month despite the tourism sector remaining stuck in the doldrums.

The Chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI), Pontjo Sutowo, said yesterday the fifth annual Tourism Indonesia Mart would be held from Sept. 22 through Sept. 26, because the gathering would be a key way to restore the country's tainted image.

"The mart will be a measuring rod to determine the progress or regression of our tourism industry," Pontjo, also chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, told reporters.

BPPI Managing Director Wuryastuti Sunario said security issues remained a major problem in attracting visitors back to the country after Jakarta and several cities were hit by massive riots in May.

"People are concerned about whether Jakarta will be safe by September, but we will show them that their safety is guaranteed here so that we can restore the country's image," she said.

Wuryastuti said that by yesterday 55 foreign buyers and 158 domestic delegations had registered to participate in the mart.

Tourism-related businesses from Jakarta, Bali, Central Java, West Java, East Java, East Timor, Irian Jaya, South Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, East Sumatra, Yogyakarta and West Nusa Tenggara were expected to set up 150 booths at the event, she said.

The registered foreign buyers come from 16 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Swiss, Thailand, the United States and England.

Wuryastuti said she expected 150 foreign buyers to participate in the mart which will take place at the Jakarta Convention Center.

Sponsors for the event are all coming from the private sector as the government no longer allocates funds for the tourism sector.

BPPI itself has come under sharp criticism for running up unpaid debts of US$21.5 million.

Wuryastuti said the mart organizers were being forced to cut expenses this year.

This year's event would feature modest dinner parties and there would be no expo as in previous years, she said.

The fee to participate for buyers from Asian countries, many of whom had been affected by the economic crisis, has been lowered to $200 from $250 last year, she said.

Local sellers who wanted to participate are being charged about Rp 6 million (US$465), unlike last year's fee of $1,500.

According to BPPI, tourist arrivals in the first semester of this year plunged to 1.57 million from 2.02 million in the same period last year.

The board's statistics show a steady decline in tourist arrivals this year from 285,510 in January to 237,312 in June.

Arrivals

Tourist arrivals hit rock bottom in May, the height of the unrest, when 225,758 people came to Indonesia, compared to 323,167 in May 1997.

The number of visitors was recorded at 11 entry points in the country, compared to seven entry points in 1997.

BPPI said several main travel destinations had lost revenue since the May riots.

Bali lost the opportunity to host 24 conferences, with 11,161 expected participants, during the April to June period, the board said.

Jakarta lost seven conferences with an estimated 13,150 participants in the same period.

The capital also saw three international exhibitions canceled between April and July. These would have used 64,000 square meters of rental space.

The board said airlines operating in the country suffered 60 percent cancellations, or about 75,000 passengers, in June and July. (das)