Jan. 22, Online
Indonesia blamed domestic travel agencies Friday for contributing to the country’s poor performance in netting international travelers.
The problem with domestic travel agencies was their inability to offer tour packages at international levels, focusing solely on the domestic market, Sapta Nirwandar, the marketing director general of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, said in Jakarta.
The ministry targets to net 7 million international tourists in 2010, up from 6.4 million last year. This target is much smaller than the number of tourist arrivals in neighboring Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, which last year attracted 10 million, 15 million and 22 million visitors respectively.
Sapta failed to provide concrete plans to help domestic private players in the industry, such as hotels, travel agents and airlines to improve the tourism business mechanism abroad.
Your comments:
The Malaysian, Australian, Singapore as well as Thailand welcome foreigners to set up travel companies in their countries without much hassle. Joint ventures with locals are always a requirement.
That is how they get the visitors to their country so easily. Indonesia? Too much red tape needs to be got through, so investors find it not worth the risk.
Rashid
Shah Alam, Malaysia
Let’s not forget the condition of the average public toilets in Indonesia too! All public toilets at the entrance to Gunung Kawi in Bali, a truly amazing archaeological site, come to mind here.
Same thing for the first toilet you come to upon entry to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. (On a positive note, the toilet in the departures lounge at Pattimura Airport in Ambon was very clean as of
last week!)
Scot
Bandung
Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia make it easy for tourists to visit their countries while Indonesia does not. Those countries don’t require visas for the vast majority of visitors and make entry through their airports quick and easy. Indonesia makes it difficult and slow.
Holidaymakers like to enjoy themselves with a few glasses of wine or cocktails but only Indonesia levies such ridiculously high rates of duty which makes this pleasure hugely expensive.
Why? The tourist is paying in foreign currency after all. Add that to corrupt officials, poor medical facilities and bad infrastructure. Not much to do with domestic travel agents, but plenty to do with government policies which hinder tourist development.
Pita
New Zealand
I’ve traveled to Indonesia many times and love the country. I certainly wouldn’t blame the private sector too much. Indonesia has a reputation, whether deserved or not, of being a somewhat dangerous country with corrupt police and government officials.
I’ve traveled there many times, and haven’t found it too bad. However, one factual incident of a tourist being ripped off or extorted by a corrupt police officer tends to take on a life of its own.
Another issue that I’ve known to cause concern with travelers is the large quantity of trash in many areas, including the Bogor Botanical Garden. Unsightly trash was everywhere when I visited last year, and apparently there is no concerted effort to clean it up.
Unfortunately, until this changes, whatever “brand” the government comes up with to market Indonesia as a tourist destination might as well feature a tree with the branches adorned with the ubiquitous plastic bags as the mascot.
Some may say that plastic bags and other litter are a relatively minor issue, but image is everything with tourist destinations. I love Indonesia!
Rob L.
Canada
The government is to blame. They see international visitors as a target to get easy money. If Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia imposed a visa fee and a limited 30-day stay, their numbers of visitors would also drop.
Theo Penning
The Netherlands
He is wrong! It’s the expensive alcohol, if you can find it, and if you do find it, it’s not a brand you are familiar with. The other reason is people don’t wish to see hard-line fundamentalists.
Plus Indonesia is not for pedestrians, you must drive everywhere. Don’t blame the local tour companies. The tourists can book from their own country.
Keith Harding
Hong Kong
