The world’s largest archipelago is launching a tourism offensive; under the leadership of Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism Mari Elka Pangestu the goal is to ensure the long-term growth of the tourism industry.

Aided by the campaign "Wonderful Indonesia. The World's Hearts of Wonders" the aim is to achieve this with a clear infrastructure and destination management strategy. "There are people who think Indonesia is part of Bali", the tourism minister said with a smile at ITB Berlin 2013. "We want to change that: we want to show that Indonesia has more to offer than Bali, which is just one of 17,500 islands." Pangestu emphasised that, first and foremost, it was Indonesia’s people who stood for the "World's Hearts of  Wonders."



In recent years tourism in Indonesia has grown steadily. Tourist arrivals from all the main markets have been on the increase. Even during the 2008 global recession Indonesia’s travel industry losses were comparatively modest at 2.8 per cent.

Tourism is a mainstay of the country’s economy. The travel industry employs around 9.2 million people and represents 6.9 per cent of the country’s job market. One in twelve people currently work in the travel industry and the aim is to increase that figure. "Tourism improves the quality of life and makes people happy", says Pangestu. According to her, that is reason enough to expand and strengthen this industry still further.

In 2012 the world’s largest archipelago registered a total of 8.04 million international arrivals, 5.11 per cent more than in 2011. To ensure this trend continues, the Ministry for Tourism and Creative Economy is keen to attract all types of travellers. The aim is to woo more holidaymakers from Europe and emerging Asian countries such as Thailand and China. In 2012, German tourist numbers reached 152,000, a total of 7.62 per cent more than in 2011. From 2011 to 2012, tourist arrivals from China even grew by 25.4 per cent. The emergence of the middle classes has also led to growth in domestic tourism.

To make sure this positive trend continues Minister Pangestu is promoting the diversity of the archipelago, which boasts more than 17,000 islands, over 300 ethnic groups and a wide variety of natural landscapes. In future, Indonesia aims to in particular boost the tourism prospects of regions which to date have remained underdeveloped. Tourists can look forward to places that are as yet untouched and little known. 80 destinations have been identified.

In a first step the ministry will focus on improving the transport and tourism infrastructure at 16 destinations over the next three years. Also at ITB Berlin, Emirsyah Satar, President of the Indonesian carrier Garuda Indonesia, announced that starting in late 2013 direct flights from Jakarta to London will make travelling to Indonesia easier. "We are also planning direct flights from Germany. However, the choice between Frankfurt and Munich has yet to be made", said Satar.

Indonesia also aims to increase the range of available tourism options in terms of the quality they offer and to promote them accordingly. "Tourists are increasingly looking for different types of activities and options – we want them to be able to find them in Indonesia too“, said Minister Pangestu.

Besides beaches and coral reefs, areas such as mountain landscapes, rainforests and a variety of cultural attractions are where tourism can be promoted. In a bid to further this potential with a clear strategy and to give travellers some orientation, special interest categories have been drawn up. They are history and culture, sport und relaxation, food and shopping, spas und wellness, cruises and event tourism. The MICE sector, mentioned last, already accounts for 30 per cent of Indonesia’s tourist arrivals.

Antje Hennecke-Lückingsmeier
www.tourismus-indonesien.de

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