Tourist arrivals drop due to security fears

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The number of foreign tourists predicted to visit the capital will fall by 10 percent this year, mostly owing to security concerns, an official said.

"Many overseas tourists may feel reluctant to come here given that the capital's security image continues to deteriorate," said Hanifah, a chief market analyst of the Jakarta Tourism Office, on Tuesday in a dialogue between tourist operators in Central Jakarta and the mayoralty administration.

Hanifah said such foreign tourists appear likely to choose countries perceived as being safer.

In all, the numbers of tourists from overseas visiting the capital over the course of the past year declined slightly to 1,187,385, down from 1,187,776 the previous year.

Security has become the major concern among many in the tourist business, buffeted by the worldwide economic downturn which has also dealt a blow to Indonesia's tourism sector.

Data from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture shows that around 5.15 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia last year. It fell short of the target of 5.4 million arrivals.

The burning issue of terrorism following the New York attacks last September appear to have had profound effects on the industry here.

A tourist operator on Jl. Jaksa, Central Jakarta, Boy Lawalata, expressed concerns that the foreign visitors coming to the entertainment spots alongside Jl. Jaksa plunged drastically to only 100 a day this year -- from 600 before the economic crises.

"During the course of three months this year, the visitors also continue to drop by 30 percent. Such an alarming condition really worries us," he groaned.

Jl. Jaksa, along with Jl. Sabang, Jl. Wahid Hasyim, and Pecenongan, are popular with their round-the-clock amusement spots, especially for back-packers.

"Instead of concentrating on foreign tourists, now we are turning our focus to expatriates and domestic visitors to drum up business," Boy said.

Chief of Central Jakarta Tourism Office, Noorchamid A. Kahar, said the concerns of security had been responded to by the government immediately.

"Recently, we have invited tour operators and travel writers from Japan, Britain and Mexico to visit Jakarta and see for themselves if the rumors about the country's poor security are accurate."

Noorchamid said they could help disseminate information to polish the capital's tattered security image.

A five-star hotel executive warned that a strong campaign promoting Indonesian tourism would be in vain should the government do nothing to improve the infrastructure which supports the tourism business.

"Damaged roads, out-of-order telephone booths and blacked-out street lamps, for example, must be repaired immediately," said Rajasa of the Borobudur Hotel.

Improvement in infrastructure, coupled with innovations in services and products, would do much to tourist arrivals here, he said.