Tourist arrivals growth rate down in August

Tourist arrivals growth rate down in August

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications
Joop Ave expressed concern here yesterday over the slowdown in
the number of tourist arrivals in August, traditionally a peak
season for foreign visitors.

Speaking at a two-day meeting held by the Indonesian Hotel and
Restaurant Association's board of executives, Joop said that the
growth rate of the number of tourist arrivals, which reached 20
percent in the first semester of this year, fell to 13 percent in
August. He did not give any revenue figures.

Data at the Directorate General of Tourism shows that the
number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia reached 290,009
(generating US$354.94 million) in January, 305,166 ($373.5
million) in February, 352,254 ($431.13 million) in March, 344,051
($421.09 million) in April, 335,735 ($410.91 million) in May,
360,969 ($441.79 million) in June, 378,157 ($462.83 million) in
July and 376,891 ($461.28 million) in August.

"This is very unusual because for the last 20 years, the
second half of the year has been high season for the tourist
industry, with growth during the July-December period almost
certainly higher than that of the January-June period," Joop
said, expressing his hope that the situation would improve this
month and in the months to come.

Asked about the reason for the decline, Joop said he could not
make an assessment right away. "It's only been three weeks (since
August)," he said.

He refused to confirm whether the situation was related to the
spell of political unrest in Jakarta last July.

"That may be your opinion, but we still have to make an
assessment on the issue. The important thing is that I have
disclosed this matter... The situation is real and we need to
work hard to offset the growth decline," he said.

The July 27 incident was sparked by the takeover of the
Indonesian Democratic Party's headquarters by a rival faction
within the party. The incident led to the burning of a number of
buildings, hundreds of injuries and the death of five people.

Joop said that his staff would reevaluate the tourism figures,
which he called "absurd".

"The number of foreign travelers to Bali certainly exploded in
August," he said,

However, the number declined at six of the country's entrance
gateways, he said.

The six other major entrance points in Indonesia are the
international airports in Medan, North Sumatra; Batam, Riau;
Jakarta; Surabaya, East Java; Manado, North Sulawesi; and
Entikong, West Kalimantan.

Joop was confident that the slowdown would not affect the
country's revenue target in the tourist industry this year.

According to earlier data, the number of foreign visitors
increased from 4.01 million in 1994 to 4.3 million in 1995, while
the revenue earned increased from US$4.7 billion to $5.2 billion

By year's end, the government hopes to attract up to 5.05
million international visitors and revenue of $6.27 billion.
(pwn)