Families can’t wait for overseas holiday

Although it was still a week before the school holiday, Tiara Tantra Larasati, 6, had packed for her first overseas trip. She even made an itinerary for her visit to Disneyland in Hong Kong.

“I have promised my mother that I will be nice during the trip. I will take pictures with Mickey [Mouse] — as many as I can.”

Her mother, Tria Susanti, said that they had prepared the family vacation for months. She said it was a bit pricey for a gift for the kids, who had done well both at school and at home, but she hoped that they would receive more in return.

“They will be away from home and meet a lot of strangers. This is a good time to see whether they could behave in a proper manner,” she said.

Tria said that she and her husband, a middle-ranking employee at a private bank, could afford the vacation, but told the kids that they should not buy too many things during the trip. “I have said to the kids that we have spent a lot of money on the trip and we would not go there for shopping,” she said.

While Tria has restrictions on shopping, Marsya, another traveler, thinks the other way around.

Marsya, whose family will depart for Hong Kong and Singapore next week, said that she chose Hong Kong because the city could accommodate everyone’s interests. “Hong Kong is a heaven for kids and adults. It has Disneyland and numerous shopping centers,” she said on Tuesday.

Marsya will take the trip with her two toddler sons, her sister and her mother. She said that using the travel agent was much simpler and safer. “As my husband will not come along, I prefer to go with a tour group. I just paid and everything has been well prepared,” said Marsya.

Marsya said that she did not consider taking a holiday trip to domestic tourist destinations because she had yet to find an interesting and safe place. “I am afraid I cannot find child-friendly places here in Indonesia,” she said.

Today’s travelers apparently choose to combine the city’s safety, natural beauty, popular tourist destinations and affordable airfare tickets before deciding on which place to go during holiday seasons.

Mala Ekayanti, spokeswoman for Panorama Tours, said that middle-class travelers chose to go overseas during the school holiday season.

According to the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (Asita), the low-price airfares and the removal of exit taxes could result in outbound tourists surpassing inbound tourists. Asita recorded a 20 percent increase in outbound tourists to 7 million last year, up from 5.1 million in 2010. Asita has predicted that the number could increase by a further 10 to 20 percent this year.