http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20070325.A01
Government targets tourists from the Middle East National News - March 25, 2007 Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung The government hopes to attract some 100,000 Middle Eastern tourists to the country following the launch of a direct flight from Qatar to Bali. State Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said in Bandung on Saturday the direct flight to Denpasar, to commence on March 28, will increase the number of visitors to Indonesia. Tourists from countries in the Middle East have high purchasing power and long holidays for up to three months a year, he said. Of five million foreign tourists to visit Indonesia last year, only 56,000 were from the Middle East. This year the government has set itself a target to attract six million tourists. "The promotion of tourism is still weak in Indonesia and this is our biggest obstacle," he told reporters after attending a graduation ceremony at the Tourism Institute of Bandung. Qatar Airlines, he said, will serve four direct flights to Denpasar every week. The airline already serves the Qatar-Jakarta route four times a week. He said that according to the World Tourism Organization it costs US$10 in promotional expenses to bring in a tourist that will spend on average $1,000. Therefore, some $60 million must be spent to attract six million tourists to the country this year. However, only Rp 100 billion (US$10.8 million) has been allocated for promotional purposes, he said. "Since we can't afford to place costly ads on CNN or other television networks, I invite foreign journalists to cover our tourist attractions. After touring the country, they can share their stories with people in their own countries. Seeing is believing, and it will help to eliminate our negative image," Wacik said. He said that several air accidents and the recent arrest of terror suspects may cause a decline in the number of tourist arrivals, but he was optimistic that problems would be short-lived. In a bid to enhance economic growth, the tourism sector should be a leading sector, Wacik said. Last year, the sector contributed Rp 45 trillion to the country. Domestic tourists, numbering 219 million last year, generated Rp 78 trillion. Wacik said the country was also hoping to "sell" skilled tourism workers to the world. Some 1,000 Indonesians travel abroad to work in the tourism industry every year. They are mostly employed to work in restaurants, hotels, spas, on yachts and even as caddies. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
