Indonesia to break tourism record with eight million arrivals in 2012

INDONESIA’S Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is optimistic that international tourist arrivals to the country in 2012 would exceed the target of eight million, as arrival figures for the January-November period rose 5.1 per cent year-on-year to reach 7.3 million.

Deputy minister of tourism and creative economy, Sapta Nirwandar, said: “With the exception of July 2012, month-on-month arrivals have been increasing. We expect the December performance, whose result will only be available at the end of this month, to also increase.

“Even if the number (for December 2012) is similar to December 2011, which was around 725,000, the target is already achieved.”

Indonesia would set new records with eight million arrivals and US$9 billion in revenue from tourism in 2012, Nirwandar pointed out.

The country recorded 7.6 million tourist arrivals and a total revenue of US$8.5 billion in 2011. For 2013, the ministry has set a goal of nine million arrivals.

Meanwhile, total tourist arrivals to Bali in 2012 have surpassed the targeted 2.8 million to reach 2.9 million, led by visitors from Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, according to Bali Regional Tourism Office director Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu in a report by Indonesian news agency Antara.

The regional government is expecting arrivals to Bali to increase to 3.1 million in 2013, based on the average arrival growth of between 10 and 12 per cent to the island in the last five years, Subhiksu revealed.

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