ARRIVALS to Indonesia crossed the 2.5 million mark in 1Q2012, registering a 8.9 per cent growth over the same period last year which is higher than the world’s average of five per cent.
Indonesia Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, is pleased with the growth that came against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, and has projected a continuous climb till the end of the year, allowing the destination to achieve its goal of eight million tourist arrival.
According to the Central Board of Statistics, arrivals from China saw the largest improvement. Chinese arrivals during the January-April period leapt 42.6 per cent over the same period last year, while Bahrain follows with a 39.3 per cent growth, Egypt with 35.2 per cent, Saudi Arabia with 21.5 per cent and Thailand and Hong Kong with 24.6 per cent each.
Pangestu said: “However, we are not only targeting numbers but quality too, which means increasing the length of stay, spend and tourism sustainability.”
With more countries focusing on tourism, the minister said Indonesia must have better strategies to “win the market”.
