Tourism in a time of crisis

Our tourist industry can only lament the decline in tourist arrivals to the country. Hotels are suffering from a lack of guests, tour and travel agents are experiencing decreased ticket bookings and souvenir shops lack buyers. Even Bali, Indonesia's foremost tourist destination which is free of smog and upheavals, is experiencing a decline in tourist arrivals.

With the country reeling from the economic crisis, President Soeharto has asked the tourist sector to come to the rescue. This is not an easy task to accomplish. Our minister of tourism, arts and culture will have to work hard to save and rehabilitate Indonesia's tourist industry.

Better promotion and the countering of reports negatively affecting tourist arrivals should be given priority. In the meantime, however, our tourist industry needs to be encouraged to be more imaginative in creating new opportunities and in exploiting every possible opportunity. In addition, our own domestic tourists, whose numbers reach more than 100 million each year, offer a great market potential that could help energize our economy.

Let us hope that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture -- in cooperation with other government agencies, the tourism industry and the media -- can contribute to the recovery of our national economy.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta