INDONESIA ENJOYS SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CHINESE TOURIST ARRIVALS by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 28 , 2015 (Antara)- The Indonesian Government has been intensifying tourism promotion, providing visa-free facilities, and easing permits in a bid to attract 10 million tourists in 2015, and achieve US$12.05 billion in foreign exchange earnings from tourism by the end of this year.

         The government has provided visa-free facility among others to the citizens of China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Australia, which are the main markets for Indonesian tourism.

         The increase in the number of visa-free countries is also needed to achieve the target of 20 million foreign visitors, or 450 thousand additional foreign tourists per year, by 2019.

         Indonesia has been particularly targeting China, the world's most populous country, as a potential market for its tourism industry.

         Almost one million Chinese tourists visited Indonesia in 2014. This year, the tourism ministry has set a target to attract two million Chinese.

         For that purpose, the government has also increased its promotional budget specifically to explore the Chinese market.

         According to the June 2015 data of the tourism ministry, the highest growth of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia was from China at 26.64 percent, Britain at 19.02 percent, India at 9.87 percent, Germany at 7.07 percent, and Taiwan at 3.86 percent.

         During the January-June 2015 period, the highest increase in tourist arrivals was from China at 19.86 percent, India at 12.79 percent, Britain at 8.15 percent, Egypt at 4.85 percent, and South Korea at 4.04 percent.

         In the first semester of 2015, Indonesia received 736,508 tourists from Singapore, 606,478 from Malaysia, and 541,511 from China.

         Indonesia's visa-free policy is believed to have led to a significant increase in Chinese tourist arrivals in Indonesia.

         "The number of Chinese tourists was the highest in the first semester of this year. We believe that the visa-free policy has encouraged them to visit Indonesia," Deputy of international tourism marketing of the tourism ministry, I. Gde Pitana, stated in Jakarta, on August 27.

         Bali is still the favorite location for Chinese tourists visiting Indonesia. In Shanghai, some 10 travel agents offer tour packages to Indonesia, particularly to Bali.   
    "We are trying out a new sales mission, including direct selling for Indonesian tour packages, promoting through advertising in the Chinese media, and also introducing new tours to Indonesia," he said.

         For the next Chinese New Year, tour agents in Shanghai have booked three chartered flights to Indonesia.

         In fact, Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia plans to increase the frequency of its chartered flights from China to Indonesia to further explore the potential of the aviation market.

         Vice President of Garuda Indonesia for China Region I. Wayan Subagja recently remarked that China, with its 1.3 billion population, has immense aviation potential and offers a lucrative market.

         "We will invite partners to offer chartered flights and to develop markets outside our conventional markets, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guang Zho," he pointed out.

         During the Lunar New Year holiday season earlier this year, Garuda had flown no less than 58 thousand passengers from 10 cities outside three major cities of China on chartered flights to Indonesia.

         "Most of them visited Bali and Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), and some went to Manado (North Sulawesi)", he added.

         I Gde Pitana welcomed Garuda's efforts to increase both regular and chartered flights from China to Indonesia.

         In addition to China, Indonesia is also exploring the Taiwan tourism market and in order to attract at least 250,000 tourists  until the end of this year.

         According to Pitana, Taiwan is a potential market and relatively stable.

         "Taiwan is a mature market and the number of tourists coming to Indonesia is relatively stable," Pitana said.

         According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2013 the number of outbound Taiwan tourists reached 11,053 million.

         Last year the number of Taiwanese tourists visiting Indonesia was 201,225 or an increase by 17.95 percent from the previous year.

         To promote Indonesian tourist destinations, the ministry sent a Taiwan Sales Mission 2015 in Taipei on August 26, and in Taichung in August 27.

         The tourism ministry's Assistant Deputy for Asia Pacific Market Development, Vincent Jemadu, said the Sales Mission in Taiwan 2015 was trying to lure Taiwanese tourists to spend holidays in Indonesia's attractive tourist destinations.

         Like Chinese, Taiwanese tourists also like islands, particularly Bali. But, the tourism ministry is trying to promote other tourist destinations.

         Therefore, the government has offered Taiwan's tourism industry with tour packages to Batam and Bintan (Riau Islands), Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Semarang (Central Java), Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara), Bandung (West Bandung) and East Java.

         "Next year the government will issue visa-free facility for 30 countries including Taiwan," he added. ***1***
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