APD | Indonesia’s 2018 foreign tourist arrival falls short from target

By APD writer Aditya Nugraha

JAKARTA, Feb. 1 (APD) -- Indonesia posted 15.8 million foreign tourist arrivals throughout last year, fell short from 17 million ones targeted by the government in the year, a senior official at national statistics agency said on Friday.

The figure, however, was 12.58 percent higher than 14.03 million ones recorded a year earlier, Head of Indonesia’s Central Statistics Bureau (BPS) Suhariyanto said.

“Foreign tourist arrivals in December were 1.41 million ones, or 21.43 percent higher than a month earlier,” Suhariyanto said in his office here, cited the number of foreign tourists spending Christmas and New Year holiday season that significantly contributed to total foreign tourist arrivals in 2018.

Singapore apparently dominated Indonesia’s foreign tourist arrivals in December last year, followed by Malaysia, Timor Leste, China and Australia.

According to Suhariyanto, 59 percent of foreign tourists visited Indonesia through flights last year. The ones who arrived through sea and land transports last year were accounted for 26 and 15 percent respectively last year.

Indonesia’s Bali and Manado airports saw the largest growths of foreign tourist arrivals visiting through flights, he said.

Series of earthquake and tsunami in several regions, including in rising destination of Lombok Island, have contributed to the nation’s failure in attaining 2018 tourism target, a senior official at the tourism ministry said earlier.

Indonesia has set tourism as part of leading sectors to support the nation’s economy, carrying out efforts to develop 10 new destinations across the country.

Government has set higher target of 20 million foreign tourist arrivals this year.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)