If you didn't travel in Indonesia this year, don't worry -- 2009 will also be the year to visit, with the government planning to extend the "successful" Visit Indonesia program.

"At first many doubted the program's success, yet we have set a new record in our tourism history," Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said Wednesday.

That record is to have received 6.4 million foreign tourist arrivals, which is the country is on track to meet.

According to an official report from the Central Statistics Agency, there were 4.3 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first nine months of the year.

Although this number is more than 2 million short of the program's target, Jero said he was convinced the full-year target would be met, as the tourist arrivals usually increase in the last quarter of the year, to generate around US$6 billion in foreign exchange income.

Both the number of tourists and the amount of income generated would be record highs, leading the government to anoint the program an "unprecedented success".

It's worth noting, however, that these figures are based on revised targets set by the ministry less than a month ago.

The original target for the number of foreign tourists this year was 7 million and the targeted revenue $6.7 billion.

The ministry's general secretary Sapta Nurwanda said Friday that next year's target for arrivals would be increased to 7 million, although he said the office acknowledged the great challenge posed by the global financial turmoil.

"Next year there will be greater challenges in tourism stemming from the global economic downturn and the upcoming election," he said,

Indonesia will hold legislative elections in April and the presidential election in July.

He said the global crisis had already taken its toll on the tourism sector in the form of canceled trips, although he said the number had not reached a level that could jeopardize this year's revised target.

According to the World Tourism Organization, the growth in the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia may decline next year to 6 percent, from an estimated 12 percent this year.

The Visit Indonesia Year concept was first introduced during the former president Soeharto era, and the first year was 1991. (dis)

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