Regional tourism

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