Regional tourism

The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) recently issued a report on developments in the nation's tourist industry. BPS noted that the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia through 13 points of entrance reached about 625,300 people in January and February. Compared to this same period last year, this was a slight increase of about 0.11%.

From the data BPS issues every month, some interesting trends can be detected regarding the number of tourists from ASEAN countries entering Indonesia. These regional tourists are entering through land and sea points of entrance, such as Entikong (West Kalimantan), Tanjung Pinang (Riau) and Mataram (West Nusa Tenggara). The number of foreign tourists visiting through Entikong increased by 38.03 percent in January and February, while those coming in through Tanjung Pinang rose by 49.63 percent. But the tourist numbers decreased by about 15.81 percent in Mataram.

Many observers believe that the best way to optimize the number of regional tourists is for different areas of the country to concentrate on attracting tourists from neighboring countries.

Tourism operators in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, for example, have found that during weekends and holidays many tourists from neighboring countries like Malaysia and Brunei visit the area.

The same thing also takes place in North Sulawesi. Many tourists from Mindano in the Philippines visit Manado during weekends and holidays.

The general awareness among Indonesians of the advantages of tourism remains relatively low. This can be seen in the lack of participation among the people in helping to create a more conducive situation for the tourist industry, at least in terms of building a sense of security and comfort.

-- Neraca, Jakarta