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nbound tourism relies a great deal on local cuisine, music, performing arts and cultural events to offset the fast-growing outbound tourism triggered by low-price airfares and the removal of exit taxes, the travel agencies’ association says.

Chair of the Jakarta branch of the Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita), Herna P.
Danuningrat, said on the sidelines of a regional meeting on Wednesday that the association wholeheartedly supported the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry’s program to develop the country’s creative industries.

“We should acknowledge that creative industries offer a variety of interesting choices for visitors and tourists to Indonesia. The association believes that supporting these industries is the key to increasing the number of tourists.

Herna mentioned music as one of the main reasons for people to visit Jakarta. Over the past few years, entertainment seekers have enjoyed live performances by world-class musicians, such as Linkin Park, Stevie Wonder, The Cranberries, Roxette, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry.

This year, the city is due to welcome American pop star Lady Gaga, whose tickets recently sold at prices up to Rp 2.2 million (US$245.25), and 1990s’ heartthrobs New Kids On The Block and the Backstreet Boys, whose tickets have reached up to Rp 2.5 million in price.

“With many famous, foreign musicians staging concerts in the capital, music lovers don’t have to fly abroad anymore,” Herna said.

Last month, the city also hosted the first-ever Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW), the largest fashion
celebration in the country showcasing the work of Indonesian designers. The event displayed creations by 500 designers and local enterprises. At least 30,000 visitors attended the four-day event.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced that more foreign tourists visited Jakarta last year. The agency confirmed that the city welcomed over 2 million visitors in 2011, up from 1.8 million in 2010.

However, Asita recorded a 20 percent increase of outbound tourists to 7 million last year, up from 5.1 million in 2010. Asita has predicted that this number could increase by a further 10 to 20 percent this year.

“The capital already has plenty of attractive spots. We just need to promote them more,” Herna said.

The Jakarta Tourism Agency has said that people coming to the city for business trips are also eager to visit the city’s Kota Tua (Old Town), Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and the National Museum. According to the agency, tourists prefer to stay in downtown areas, where they can easily find entertainment spots, as the city is home to more than 1,129 nightspots, including nightclubs, discos, massage parlors, saunas, arcades and bars, which employed a staggering 670,000 people in 2011.

Former tourism minister Joop Ave, who also attended the meeting, said that Jakarta could become a fresh, dynamic and creative city should the government appreciate the capital’s young community.

“Jakarta is blessed with numerous young and talented people in various creative sectors, be it in music, film or art,” he said. “Don’t merely see them as young people with no experience. Look at what they have created, listen to their ideas and use their works to paint the face of the city.”