Mike (not verified) — Sat, 11/22/2008 - 1:00pm

With overwhelming sadness, frustration and bewilderment, those who are associated with the tourist industry along with concerned, forward thinking citizens, look on as Indonesia seems to do just about everything possible to discourage visitors to this country. Just a few popular examples but by no means an exhaustive list includes: The ongoing saga of the visa on arrival regulations that insists that tourists leave the country after less than one month; poor infrastructure, trains, buses, roads etc., that makes it almost impossible for visitors to get about easily and freely; chaotic airport management with appalling facilities; very poor standards of food hygiene and safety control; a littering and pollution problem that is almost on par with it having become a national pastime; an over zealous and generally unfriendly, unhelpful police force; a very well publicized/promoted anti pornography law, that remains vague and frightening to foreigners; almost zero, easily accessed, information and advise; and an arrogant attitude that has been stated within these columns, 'if you don’t like it don’t come and we don’t need nor want you anyway'. Put all of this together with a determined effort by some to destroy or soil just about everything that is beautiful about Indonesia, coupled with a general lack of active national pride, and you have a very shaky foundation upon which to build a tourist industry.

In comparison to other Asian neighbors, the level of professionalism in managing and promoting tourism in Indonesia is quite obviously left wanting in most areas. The fact that businesses in the tourist industry are now not able to get supplies of goods necessary to service their client’s needs seems only to follow the apparent aim of killing off Indonesia’s ailing foreign tourism industry completely. As the tourist dollar, pound, yen becomes more and more scarce over the next months, even years, it is more than a possibility that Indonesia will not be at the top of the tourists list of places to visit.

For a country with so many possibilities, with so much to offer, and a population with such an obvious need, it is all just so very, very sad.