Indonesia gains popularity

Indonesia’s tourism industry is enjoying a successful year so far, according to Sapta Nirwanda, director general of marketing at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and hopes are high that visitor numbers will exceed the seven-million mark by the end of the year. During a recent conference, he said: “We are very pleased with tourism achievement for this year. Despite the fact that some long-haul markets remain weak, we achieved growth in all of our major incoming markets until August 2010. We [have welcomed] so far over 4.6 million international visitors, a number up by almost 12.2 per cent.” Nirwanda said he was particularly pleased with the growth seen from markets in Australia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and China, all of which have seen growth of over 20 per cent this year. While Australia is 2010’s fastest-growing market to date, he noted that Japan remains a notable exception with arrival numbers dropping by 11 per cent since January.
Arrivals from Europe in the first half of the year numbered 500,000, showing the resilience of European traveller numbers, despite the economic problems. Growth from January to August ranged from seven per cent to 10 per cent for most European nations, except for France, whose numbers were only up by 2.6 per cent. Arrivals from the US, meanwhile, are also up by over eight per cent, despite the absence of direct flights from the US to Indonesia.
Bali remains top of the list in terms of popularity, capturing 36 per cent of all international arrivals. However, the impressive growth seen on the small island has had its negative effects, with accommodation during the high season becoming increasingly expensive and hard to find. Many tour operators and travel companies have also complained that increasing congestion on the Balinese roads has resulted in incessant traffic jams. A problem for Bali, though could mean advantages for other destinations nearby that will pick up the people who don’t wish to travel to somewhere as crowded – Lombok, for example, is experiencing growth of over 25 per cent.
Other hurdles to the continued development of the tourism industry in Indonesia are visa problems, which Nirwanda addressed during the conference: “We recognise that Indonesian destinations in border areas, such as Batam or Bintan Islands near Singapore, are disadvantaged. We are discussing [the issue] with immigration authorities to see if we could not introduce a kind of ‘vignette’ system allowing multiple entry to travellers residing in specific designated areas. We hope to come to an agreement despite the fact that numerous administrative hurdles remain.”