Indonesia sets focus on European tourists amid decline in Chinese visitors

JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Following a decline in the number of Chinese tourists caused by the increased tension of China's trade war with the United States, the government is now seeking to woo more visitors from European countries.

"We don't have to (rely on) Chinese tourists all the time. We will shift our target to European countries such as the United Kingdom, which we haven't really tapped into," Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio told tempo.co on Wednesday (Dec 25).

According to Mr Wishnutama, the characteristics of Indonesia's tourist destinations - mostly of natural wonders - suit the European market which largely prefers outdoor activities such as sailing in Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara and Tanjung Puting in Central Kalimantan.

However, marketing the archipelago as a tourist destination for Europeans would be more costly, as it requires more effort, he added.

"But it's a market with potential. We can see now that Labuan Bajo has been welcoming mostly Western tourists," said Mr Wishnutama, adding that the ministry also wanted to attract more tourists from the United States and Australia who have similar interests.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia welcomed 1,565,200 tourists from Europe between January and September this year. The number is slightly less than the 1,566,900 people of the year before.

During the same period, Indonesia reportedly welcomed 482,500 American tourists, an increase of 12.93 per cent compared to last year.

Although Mr Wishutama said he would shift his focus to marketing Indonesian tourism destinations in Europe and other Western countries, he said he would also continue to woo tourists from China.

Despite the new strategy, he said the government would continue to boost the growth of Chinese tourist visits to the archipelago, with Likupang and Manado in North Sulawesi identified as the main destinations to attract them.

Based on BPS data, the number of Chinese tourist visits between January and May this year grew only 2.2 per cent.

Following the decline, Malaysia replaced China as the No. 1 foreign tourist contributor to Indonesia, thanks to its 23.04 per cent growth during the same period.

In early December, Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Industry Association chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani predicted that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Indonesia might drop by 15 to 20 per cent.

The decline, which was predicted to reach almost 1.5 million visitors, was purely due to economic factors, said Mr Hariyadi.