Online Marketplace, Homestay Villages Among Plans to Boost Tourism
Jakarta. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said Indonesia plans to attract 15 million visitors to this year and 18 million next year in an effort to gradually reduce the country's reliance on commodities.
The ministry has begun its strategy by establishing an online marketplace, the Indonesia Tourism Exchange (ITX) last year. The website allows tourists to browse, book and pay for their holiday packages right from the page.
"It is accessible by smartphones, making it easy for customers to book hotel rooms, plane tickets, homestays or to enjoy tourist attractions in Indonesia," Arief said in a statement on Friday (07/04).
Going digital is a mandatory approach for any business seeking to survive in the connected age, Arief said. It is also a part of three-pronged approach by the government, with the other two being the development of tourist villages and the opening of more flights to the country.
The ministry plans to create tourist-friendly villages by building 100,000 houses in 10 priority tourist destinations within the next three years to provide tourists with basic amenities, while also helping locals improve their areas. Arief said the concept of tourist villages and homestays will be finalized in June.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration plans to build 20,000 homestay units this year, 30,000 next year and 50,000 in 2019 in areas near priority tourist areas, such as Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Tanjung Kelayang (Bangka Belitung), Tanjung Lesung (Banten), Thousand Islands (Jakarta), Borobudur Temple (Central Java), Bromo Tengger Semeru Mountain (East Java), Mandalika Resort (West Nusa Tenggara), Labuan Bajo fishing village (East Nusa Tenggara), the Wakatobi Marine Park (Southeast Sulawesi) and Morotai (North Maluku).
The government also seeks to increase the ability of airlines to bring more passengers to the country by improving the capacity of airports, increasing slot times, expanding operational hours, cutting unnecessary aviation regulations, increasing the use of information technology and improving the quality of workers.
Minister Arief said local and international airports are currently able to cater to 19.5 million passengers per year traveling to Indonesia. The airlines need to increase their number of available seats by 4 million this year, 3.5 million next year and other 3 million by 2019 to meet the government's tourist arrival target.
Arief said there are several airport improvements in the pipeline to meet rising passenger numbers, such as the rapid exit runway and apron in Bali, runway, taxiway and apron developments at several airports, including at the country's busiest, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten.
A total of 11.5 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia last year, which is an 11 percent increase from a year earlier, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The government hopes to attract 20 million overseas visitors annually by 2019.
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