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By APD writer Maverick
**JAKARTA, June 7 (APD) ** – Indonesian government takes anticipating moves to respond the boycott against Qatar by several countries as it may cost the nation’s prime industry of tourism, risking the visit of tens of thousands potential foreign tourists to Indonesia.
Indonesia Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the boycott that blocks Qatari airlines, Qatar Airways, from entering airspace of the boycotting countries would halt foreign tourists’ scheduled flights to Indonesia.
“The boycott may hinder the visit of up to 50,000 foreign tourists from several Middle East countries to Indonesia in the next seven months. That’s huge,” the minister said here on Tuesday.
Indonesia received increasing number of foreign tourists from Middle East countries joining the boycott, mostly from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the last few years.
On the other hand Indonesia sees increasing number of domestic travellers bound to most of countries boycotting Qatar. Indonesian authorities would team up to transfer the flights of domestic travellers from Qatar Airways to other airlines serving Middle East destinations.
Indonesia would still allow operation of Qatar Airways to destinations other than the boycotting countries.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, Bahrain, Egypt, Maldives have joined the movement to boycott Qatar for allegedly harboring terrorism activities, possibly be followed by other countries.
Meanwhile, Indonesia Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said that Indonesia has proposed itself to contribute in international efforts to seek peace solution in the Middle East political row, which is feared of may disintegrate Islamic world.
The minister said that she had communicated with her counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey and Iran shortly after the decision to boycott Qatar was made.
“I have discussed the developing situations in that region with my counterparts, stated Indonesia’s readiness to contribute (for peace solution),” the foreign minister of world’s largest Muslim population country said on Wednesday, expressed Indonesia’s deep concern regarding the boycott.
Indonesia expects countries involved in the political tension in the Middle East to restrain themselves and taking steps in reducing the tension, among others by prioritizing dialogues and reconciliation, she said.
Other than tourism sector, Indonesia receives insignificant impacts from the boycott against Qatar. Indonesia has around 43,000 nationals staying in Qatar at present.
Indonesia-Qatar two-way trade was recorded at 915 million U.S. dollars in 2016 of which 81.2 percent of it came from oil and gas trade from Qatar to Indonesia.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
