You asked for ideas for a slogan for "Visit Indonesia 2009".

It is right; a slogan has to be short and must describe what you have to offer tourists. But it is also very important to understand why a lot of foreign tourists don't like to come to Indonesia at the moment.

In Holland, I asked a lot of people why they didn*t like to visit this beautiful country and the mean reason I heard was that the laws in Indonesia at the moment are unpredictable and not consistent.

Every part of the country, every province, every town, every kampung and even every police department has his own laws and uses their own interpretation of the official laws from the government in Jakarta.

This is very frustrating for many tourists, but it is not for me to criticize anything, I am just passing on what other people have told me. I love this country more than my own, and I have a few suggestions for a slogan for 2009: A Glittering Diamond Indonesia; The pearl of Indonesia, feel the living nature; or Indonesia, a warm welcome. But a slogan on its own is not enough to bring tourists back to Indonesia.

TON

Yogyakarta

I have three suggestions: Indonesia, the Only Archipelago; Indonesia, Thousands of Islands, Thousands of Smiles; or Indonesia, Exotic Islands with Friendly Smiles. Pick any. Hopefully these can be useful to challenge the gimmicky Malaysia's Truly Asia, Uniquely Singapore, Amazing Thailand, etc.

Of course, such slogans won't have a big impact alone, but could help to reassert the direction of our vision and to redefine the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) standpoint in order to reset our short and long term goals.

There is much to be done and it is the responsibility of the Culture and Tourism Ministry to develop the system and make sure everything is in its place. The ministry should be able to mobilize all stakeholders to actively participate in every aspect. No more red tape, hassles or excuses. Discard the things that did not function in VIY 2008.

Tourism is indeed serious business; a giant industry, that has been overlooked for too long. It is ironic that we are blessed with such an abundance of resources and enchanting spots all over the archipelago, but many remain unexplored.

It is time now to change our attitudes, and creatively promote this industry to become the backbone of our economy, especially now that other industries are diminishing in the ongoing global doldrums.

It is imperative to the tourism industry to preserve the environment. Compare this to the mining and timber industries that have obviously abused and destroyed our environment to a critical extent, causing massive catastrophes and disasters everywhere. A strong tourism campaign is key to building market awareness and attracting visitors. We are falling behind neighboring countries that do not have the same natural beauty that we have.

Malaysia, for instance, launched its massive promotion campaign in the early 1990s and we can easily find catchy ads in popular magazines, on TV and on billboards in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

This surely requires large amounts of investment, but they are so persistent and focussed on their target market.

The results speak for themselves. We don*t need to be ashamed to learn from this success story, but we can use it as a benchmark to value our own progress.

FRIZAL NAZARETH

California

While slogans are fine, they are no substitute for having to stand in line for hours to get an expensive and short VOA. Specially after a 10 or 12-hour flight.

The tourism ministry together with foreign affairs have to work together to allow a 90-day VOA for $35.00. This something practical that would do much to allow tourists to visit the more remote islands of the archipelago.

It means that revenue from tourism would also reach more areas that are in need of development, and of course it would send a signal to investors that the government is serious about improving the life of the people of this beautiful and unique part of the world.

Hoping that this will catch the eye of someone in a position to really do something about it.

JACK FERNANDEZ

Dubai

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