Tourism Australia, a government agency, wants Indonesian tourists to explore one city at a time, rather than going on a multiple-city tour, to boost revenue from the growing Indonesian tourism market to A$1 billion per year by 2020.

Typically, Indonesians combined a visit to three cities, such as Sydney, the Gold Coast and Melbourne, in one trip, Tourism Australia Southeast Asia public relations manager Shamila Othman said.

“The quality of the trip might not be as great because it’s fly in, fly out,” Othman told The Jakarta Post.

More and more Indonesians have developed a taste for holidaying abroad, initially to countries nearby such as Australia but increasingly to places further away.

Australia is seeking to attract more Indonesian tourists, including those who have visited the country before, by encouraging them to explore more of what each Australian city has to offer.

“There has been very positive growth from the Indonesian market this year, and we see a lot of potential that will help boost tourism,” Othman said.

Some 197,200 Indonesians visited Australia between January and November 2017, a 14.3 percent increase over the previous year, according to Tourism Australia’s latest available data. Revenue from Indonesian tourists reached $700 million from January to November 2017.

Tourism Australia is also organizing halal package tours with Indonesian travel agents and flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

Around half of all Indonesians who visit Australia do so for a holiday. (sha/bbn)

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