JAKARTA, 03 September 2004 - The number of tourist arrivals through 13 main entry points throughout Indonesia jumped by 31.23 percent to over 2.55 million in the first seven months of the year from only 1.94 million in the corresponding period last year, an official saidon Thursday.
"This is the highest increase ever recorded within the last five years after the country's tourist industry was hit by a series of terror attacks and catastrophes ranging from SARS outbreak to bird flu infection over the last two years," Udin Saifuddin of the office of
the Minister of Tourism and Culturesaid.
The rebound in the country's tourist industry can also be seen from an increase of up to 80 percent in the number of tourist arrivals from Australia to Bali over the last few months despite a travel warning from the Australian government, he said. Another positive indicator is increased foreign investment in hotels and resorts in Bali, including the Conrad Hotel, the Bulgari Hotel and Jimbaran Villas, a resort in Seminyak district, Udin said.
The above-mentioned indicators are expected to help enable Indonesia to reach its target for tourist arrivals of 5.2 million this year with foreign exchange revenues of about EUR 9 billion, he said. Udin said that in a bid to reach the target, the government would
maximize its overseas and domestic tourism promotion by participating in a number activities such as the international tourism bourses. "The international tourism promotion bourses include the Indonesia Solo Exhibition in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates; the Trade Tourism and Investment fair in Barcelona, Spain; the Japan Travel Association World Fair and the PATA Travel exposition in Bangkok, Thailand," he added.
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