8 Months Visitor arrivals up significant 13.5%

Oct 5th 2007

The National Statistics Board informed that total foreign visitor arrivals to Indonesia during the first eight months totaled 2. 97 million, or an increase of 13.47% compared to the same period last year which saw 2.62 million arrivals, reports Bisnis Indonesia.

Although encouraging, this number still falls short of the 2007 target of 6 million set by the government. With total foreign visitor arrivals to the country of 4.8 million last year, and to reach the 6 million target this year, Indonesia needs an increase of at least 20%.

Arrivals to Bali for the first 8 months this year until August rose an impressive 35.9% surpassing the one million mark at 1,077,200 compared to 792,665 visitors for the same period last year. 

Meantime, the Department of Culture and Tourism reported that the PATA Travel Mart held recently at Nusa Dua from 25-28 September had been an acclaimed success.

The Mart was attended by 1,500 buyers and sellers representing some 50 countries worldwide. The 438 registered buyers originated from India, USA, Great Britain, China, Singapore, Thailand, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany and Australia, as well as Fiji, Malta, Slovakia, and Turkey. 55% of buyers were wholesalers, 6% represented MICE specialists, and 39% leisure/Mice combined, said Director General for Tourism Marketing, Thamrin Bachri.

There were 789 registered sellers from 38 Asia-Pacific countries, with Indonesia registering 262 delegates from 113 companies, followed by Thailand, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Vietnam.

Indonesian sellers reportedly gained contracts worth US$ 50 million out of PATA’s earlier estimated Mart total potential contracts of between US$ 475 million – US$ 500 million.