Riots may affect tourist arrivals, executives say
JAKARTA (JP): Travel and tourist executives said yesterday that recent riots rocking several areas in Indonesia might affect tourist arrivals in the country.
Nurdin Purnomo, the chairman of Setia Tour, one of the country's leading travel agencies, said the key for tourism was political stability.
"People won't visit any place if there is unrest. It's a primary reason for everyone," he told The Jakarta Post.
Chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association Pontjo Sutowo said violence could damage the country's image as a tourist destination and hurt the country's economy.
He said recently that a good image was very important to attract international visitors.
He admitted that there had been no immediate impact on tourist arrivals and hotel occupancy rates.
"However, hoteliers are worried that the number of both foreign and domestic tourists will decrease if there are more sporadic riots," he said.
Citing an example, he recalled the cancellations of visits to China by many tourists after the Tiananmen tragedy in 1989.
"Rumors about Indonesia from abroad will also influence international tourist arrivals," he said.
However, Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave contended that the recent riots would not affect the country's tourist industry.
"The incidents happened locally, like in Rengasdengklok, a place that may be unknown to foreign tourists," he said.
In spite of a series of riots rocking Jakarta in July, Situbondo, East Java in October and Tasikmalaya, West Java in December 1996, tourist arrivals last year grew by 18 percent to reach 5 million, bringing in US$6.18 billion in foreign exchange, an increase of about 16.9 percent over the previous year's figure.
The country expects to earn between $7.2 billion and $7.8 billion on 5.3 million to 5.7 million foreign tourists this year.
The government expects the tourist industry will become the country's biggest foreign exchange earner by the end of the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan period in 2004.
Another series of riots recently rocked Rengasdengklok, Bandung, West Java and Pontianak in West Kalimantan. Tensions remain high in Pontianak, forcing Malaysia to close its border areas with Indonesia.
Analysts said violence might still occur until the general elections in May.
Meanwhile, spokespersons for the Shangri-La Hotel, a five-star hotel in Central Jakarta and the Omni Hotel, a four-star hotel in the capital's Chinatown, told the Post that their hotels had not been hit hard by cancellations.
"There was a negligible drop in room occupancy beginning on Wednesday, but it is due to the Chinese New Year (which falls on Feb. 7) and the Idul Fitri (which falls on Feb. 9 and 10) holiday," Romy Herlambang of Shangri-La said.
She said her hotel's major customers were businesspeople from East Asian nations who were familiar with these seasonal festivals.
Mirna Basalamah of the Omni Hotel said her hotel would be packed with tourists from eastern Asia after the Idul Fitri holiday. (icn)