Thai govt holds fair to attract Indonesian tourists

Thai govt holds fair to attract Indonesian tourists

Dewi Santoso
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

As part of an effort to attract tourists from Indonesia, the Thai
government held a fair on Monday with travel agents and tourism
operators from both countries being invited.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) director Eumporn
Jiragalwisul said that TAT had staged the event in Indonesia as
the country offered huge market opportunities.

Data from the TAT shows that Thailand attracted 11 million
tourists last year. Of this figure, Malaysia accounted for the
biggest number (12 percent), followed by Japan (10 percent).
Indonesia only accounted for 160,000 people.

However, Eumporn said that Indonesia had great potential as it
had an enormous population.

"It's important to get businesspeople from both countries
together as Indonesia has a huge market of around 220 million
people, and Thailand has a lot to offer," said Eumporn.

Despite the fair, she expected the number of Indonesian
tourists to Thailand to increase to only 170,000 this year as
there were a number of obstacles that had to be overcome.

"We cannot hope for a significant increase as there aren't
many direct flights available, plus, Indonesians have to pay high
exit taxes whenever they travel abroad," she said.

Currently, there are only two airlines providing direct
flights to Thailand: Garuda Indonesia Airlines, which serves the
Jakarta-Bangkok route four times a week, and Thai International
Airways, which serves the route seven days a week.

Indonesians who want to travel abroad have to pay an exit tax
of Rp 1 million (US$116.3).

Titled "Amazing Thailand Road Show 2004", the event in Jakarta
lasted for only one day. More than 40 travel agencies, hotels and
restaurants from Thailand were in attendance, while more than 50
travel agencies from Indonesia had been invited.