Foreign tourist arrivals up in '07

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government will have to work hard to meet its Visit Indonesia 2008 target of seven million foreign arrivals.

Indonesia saw 5.51 million foreign tourist arrivals last year, up 13 percent from 4.87 million in 2006, the Central Statistics Agency said Friday.

Due primarily to higher spending per visit, the increasing number of tourist arrivals generated US$5.3 billion in foreign exchange income last year, up from $4.4 billion in 2006.

Of the country's 15 main points of entry, Ngurah Rai airport in Bali recorded the highest number of arrivals in 2006, with 1.74 million visitors, up by 3.95 percent from 1.32 million the year before.

"The rising number of tourist arrivals, mainly through Ngurah Rai, indicates progress in Indonesia's tourism sector", the agency's deputy chairman for distribution and service Ali Rosidi said in a press briefing.

Meanwhile, the Minangkabau entry point experienced the steepest drop in foreign arrivals; they were down 20.92 percent, primarily due to an earthquake, the agency said.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently launched the Visit Indonesia program which targets US$6.3 million in foreign exchange revenue in 2008.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, is still recovering from deadly terrorist attacks in the resort island of Bali in 2002 and 2005 and as well as similar incidents on a much smaller scale in Jakarta.

Foreign reporting on bird flu virus has also discouraged many foreign tourists from coming to Indonesia, despite the country's numerous attractive tourist spots.

Lack of promotion also contributes to the sluggish growth. The government has said its budget is only $15 million for promoting tourism this year.

The agency said that in December the country's total tourist arrivals reached 431,000, a mere 10.20 percent increase over the 390,800 arrivals recorded in the same period of 2006.

According to the agency, from November to December, the country recorded a 7.86 percent increase with 431,001 arrivals, as against 399,609 in the same period of 2006.

Foreign tourists spent about $107.70 per day, up by 7.19 percent from around $100.48 in 2006. But the rise is mostly driven by soaring inflation in the country's consumer prices.

The average expenses per visit figure in 2007 was $970.98, higher than $913.09 in 2006, the agency said.

Also, foreign tourists aren't staying as long, as indicated by an agency report showing average length of stay declined to 9.02 days last year from 9.09 days in 2006.

Analysts said a lack of transportation and recreational facilities discouraged tourists from staying longer.