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Tourism expected to contribute US$6 billion in foreign exchange

12 May 2005, JAKARTA - Indonesia's tourist industry is expected to contribute about US$6 billion to the nation's income this year, up from only $4.8 billion targeted in 2004, an official said on Thursday. "If the security condition is stable over the next few months, it's not impossible that we'll reach the target," Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said at the opening of the 2005 Archipelagic Tourism Extravaganza.

Jero Wacik admitted that the tourist industry was very sensitive to the security situation, citing that disturbances over the last three years ranging from the Bali bomb tragedy, Kuningan bomb explosion in Jakarta, clashes in a number of regions and the tsunami disaster, had affected the industry. However, Jero Wacik expressed confidence that based on support from all parties such disturbances would no longer pose threats to the tourist industry in Indonesia.