RI still popular among Japanese

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia was one of the top 10 destination countries for Japanese tourists in 2000 despite the social and political issues still clouding the country.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported on Wednesday that Indonesia ranked 10th in the Top Ten Destinations from 30 destination countries monitored by Travel Journal International, a Japanese journal focusing on international travel for Japanese nationals.

This was an improvement from the 12th rank achieved the previous year, the ministry said in a statement.

Some 444,113 Japanese tourists visited Indonesia last year, compared to 369,323 in 1999, the journal said, explaining that Bali remained the main attraction for tourists entering the country.

The ministry said that among member countries of the Association of South East Asian nations (ASEAN), Indonesia ranked third after Thailand and Singapore.

Last year total Japanese outbound travelers reached an all- time high of 17.81 million people, a majority of which were between the age of 50 and 54. (tnt)