TOURISM IN INDONESIA
Indonesia, the biggest country-archipelagoin the world, blessed by plentitude of natural beauties, valuable art, culture and extraordinary culinary treasury, is becoming more and more popular tourist destination. Even the international ecomonic crisis, in Europe above all, couldn’t lessen the interest of tourists from all over the world in deciding for a vacation and enjoyment in this South East Asian country with over 17.500 islands, more than 240 million inhabitants from several hundreds of ethnic and linguistic groups and six officially accepted religions, whose ancestors had been inhabiting Indonesia tens of thousands of years ago.
Indonesia expects around nine million foreign tourists in 2013. It’s an important increasement of 12.5%, comparing to 8.04 million tourists registrated in 2012, as published in Jakarta, capital city of Indonesia. Number of domestic travels have increased to 250 million.
Indonesian self-confidence in its tourism industry is based on several facts, first of which is that this year APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit will be held in Bali. Ten other cities in Indonesiawill also host ministry assemblies of APEC, the forum of more than twenty coutries. This year Indonesia will also host the Ministary Assembly of WTO (World Trade Organisation). Besides that, Bali and Jakarta are going to hostMiss World Contest. To encounter these events, airports in Bali, Jakarta and many other destinations are being modernized and extended. Many other approaching roadways are being contructed.
Some of these newswere announced during the event entitled Days of Indonesia which was held on the 24th of April at The College of Tourism (VTŠ) in Belgrade.
During the presentation of Indonesian tourism potentials, Indonesian Ambassador to Serbia Samuel Samson has expressed deep hope that scholarship programmes for students of both our countries would encourage mutual acquaintance to national cultures and traditions. That would lead to a better understanding of our two traditionally brotherly people and to strengthening of interstate relationship, said Ambassador Samson.
In his welcoming speach, the principal of The College of Tourism, Dr Milan Skakun said that his students had already had the opportunity to meet cultures, traditions, tourism industry and trade potentials of almost 600 million people from countries whose diplomats had taken part in this college programme entitled Ambassador As a Guest.
The last yearnumber of 8.04 million foreign tourist in Indonesiain corresponds toan increasement of 5% comparing to 2011. Indonesian officials are proud of this number, especially if we compare the average global increase in tourism which ranges 3-4%. It is estimated that foreign currency influx in 2012 exceeded 9 billion dollars, which is an increase of 6% comparing to the year before.
Today, tourism in Indonesia rates fifth for the foreign currency income, after the export of oil and gas, coal, palm oil and rubber products. Tourism is ranked higher than export of clothes, electric devices, textile and paper products.
The number of domestic tourists increases as well. During the 2012 they have travelled around their country 3,81% more than the year before. Taken that every tourist spends around 700.000 IDR (around70 dollars) per travel, bruto expenditure of domestic tourists for the last year has reached 171,5 billion IDR (17,67 million dollars), with a growth rate of 9,31% comparing to 2011.
Jakarta realizes that targets concerning foreign guests growth are ambitious. That’s why Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industry (MTCE) is going to focus on sixteen new destinations as well as on an aggressive promotion into five main markets that have shown strong growth in past few years – Peoples Republic of China, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and Russia.
In 2013 Indonesian Government will aslo focus on development of conference tourism (MICE), cruising and yachting, health and wellness tourism, improvement of culinary and creating conditions for sports like golf, cycling, maraton and diving, says official Jakarta. They say that health tourism had attracted around two million foreigners last year. Over 30% of growth in cruise ships visits and passengers on them per year has been recorded. MTCE expects 308 luxury vessels and 147.134 passengers arriving to Indonesia this year.
„As a country with spacious archipelago, we are blessed with dozens of beautiful destinations, each of which has unique attractions and culture which satisfy cruise market demands. We are an important market for cruise ships, be those big cruise ships or expedition ones, since we have a lot to offer to tourists“, said Rizki Handayani, executive for MICE at MTCE.
Handayani said that plans for further expansion of cruise tourism in Indonesia had been motivated motivated by the Cruise Shipping Miami fair 2013, where many new „players“ had shown the interest to visit Indonesia in next few years. Cruise Shipping Miami is the largest world conference and buyers fair in global cruising industry in the last 30 years.
Indonesia expects 320 cruise ships and 200.000 passengers in 2014. In that respact, Bali’s port of Benoa as well as some others, have been extended in order to facilitate docking of bigger cruise ships.
Some of aeronautical companies have extended their fleets with completely new aircrafts for long destinations. Domestic destinations that are not so well known are being connected, but there are international offers as well, especially those connecting China, other SE Asian countries and Australia. National airline company Garuda is planning direct flights Jakarta-London.
We expect that Indonesian middle class, which is now in expansion, will travel by planes more often. In return, that will create higher demand for attractive destinations, transport, hotels and restaurants throughout the archipelago.
Meanwhile, investments in hotel construction have broke the record. Hotels are being built throughout the country, in big cities, as well as in remote tourist destinations. Foreign investment in hotels and restaurants have reached 729,7 million dollars in 2012, with 86,1 million dollars domestic investment.
Indonesia has extablished a new tourism campaign, entitled Wonderful Indonesia – The World’s Heart of Wonders. Simbolically, this is a call for visitors to experience the true allure of Indonesia, which rises up from the heart of its people. Namely, it is considered that the most popular attraction of Indonesia are Indonesians –friendly, attentive and always smiling.
Rich as its natural beauties and diverse as its peoples and cultures, Indonesia is blessed by abundance of culinary specialties, starting from sweet taste of Jogjakarta, Central Java, to very strong taste of Padang food, West Sumatra. Among the most famous specialties are Rendang from Padang (caramelized beef in curry), Madurese Sate (meat on skewers), Nasi Tumpeng (yellow rice cone surrounded by different kinds of food), Soto Lamongan (traditional broth with meat and vegetables), Nagasari (banana cake) and Kue Lumpur (pancake with fruit).
Indonesian government encourages Muslims from other countries to come to Indonesia. This country is the most populous Islamic country in the world. In Jakarta they think that there is great potential for attracting Muslim tourist to Indonesia.
Ensuring the environment which is in accordance with Islamic teachings, Indonesian government have joined hands with Islamic theologists in order to turn the country into the world centre of Sharia tourism. „Sharia tourism in its basis means leisure in accordance with religious values“, saidFirmansyah Rahim, general manager at MTCE.
The model would be the resort chain Sofyan, which have strarted development of this kind of tourism 1994. Every room has a copy of a holy book Quran, Muslim carpet for prayer and the direction for praying towards Meka in Saudi Arabia. This kind of hotels don’t sell alcohol nor pork, and they don’t allow short stay to unmarried couples.
The head of the resort chain Sofyan, Riyanto Sofyan, have noticed that „most of muslim travellers do not come only from Middle East, but also from Europe, Australia, Japan and China“. Rijanto, who is the chairman of Indonesian Association of Sharia Hotels and Restaurants (AHSIN), also said that „the potential market for sharia tourism in the whole industry is practicaly unemployed.
Sofyan said that the resort income had been encreasing 15-20% per year since they had introduced tourism model based on Sharia. „Our income is above the industry income, which grows 10% per year“, he said.
Representative of Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) Slamet Efendi Jusuf expressed support which MUI gives to development of this kind of tourism, but he thinks that Sharia values are not applicable to all tourist destinations in Indonesia. „Sharia tourism couldn’t possibly be introduced in Bali or Manado“, said Slamet, referring to those parts of Indonesia which don’t have Muslim majority.
Slamet said that „Sharia hotel isn’t intended only for Muslims. It is open to everybody, no matter the race, religion or ethnicity, as far as they don’t break the roles“.