RI optimistic on meeting tourism target

With an increase in the number of foreign tourist arrivals, the government is optimistic about meeting its target to receive 7 million tourists this year, a tourism official says.

Up to August this year, around 4.6 million foreign tourists had arrived in Indonesia, an increase of 12.5 percent compared to the same period last year, Culture and Tourism Ministry marketing director general Sapta Nirwandar said Friday.

“We’re optimistic because we still have four more months to go,” Sapta told journalists on the sidelines of the Tourism Indonesia Mart and Expo (TIME) 2010, held in Senggigi, West Lombok.

Around 120 buyers from 22 countries and more than 100 sellers from 80 companies from 13 provinces across Indonesia took part in the four-day event that concluded Friday.

In his speech, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said Indonesia had made tourism a leading sector that had moved the wheels of the local economy and boosted investment in a number of islands, including Lombok and the Sumbawa Islands (both in West Nusa Tenggara).

The expo gave the international travel industry an opportunity to see the beauty of Indonesian destinations for themselves, Wacik said.

In the tourism industry, the private sector and tourism operators know the best and potential markets, he said, adding that the government would continue to facilitate and support development in this area.

Tourism is the second-biggest sector in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province after agriculture, largely because of the large number of tourists charmed by the natural beauty of Lombok and the Sumbawa Islands, NTB Governor M. Zainul Majdi said.

The provincial administration had selected 15 strategic tourist destinations, including Senggigi in West Lombok, he said.

“Some other regions are also being developed,” Zainul said, mentioning Lakey Beach in Dompu for surfing, and Mount Rinjani for trekking.

To support the tourism sector, the administration had been improving supporting infrastructure, including access roads and electricity networks, he said.

Lombok International Airport (BIL) in Central Lombok would commence operation next year and is expected to have a significant impact on the number of tourists visiting the province, he said.

NTB province remained dependent on neighboring Bali as a transit point for most international visitors, he said. Selaparang Airport in Mataram, the provincial capital, only serves direct flights to and from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, once a week.

“With the opening of the new airport, we are sure Lombok and Sumbawa will become more popular and easier to access,” he said.

Through the Visit Lombok Sumbawa 2012 program, the province has targeted to receive 1 million tourists each year by 2012.

As of August this year, West Nusa Tenggara Culture and Tourism Agency had recorded 446,000 tourist visits to the region.

“Our target for this year was 700,000, and we are sure we will meet it,” agency chief Lalu Gita Aryadi said.