ASITA EXPECTED TO WORK ON DOMESTIC TOURISM PACKAGES

Jakarta, Jan 23 (ANTARA) - The Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agents (ASITA) is expected to seriously work on domestic tourism packages in an effort to improve local tourism industry.

"It is time for Asita to seriously work on domestic tourism packages," Culture and Tourism marketing director general Sapta Nirwandar said here on Saturday.

Nirwandar said local tourism industry should be activated before foreign players work on tourism package in Indonesia, because according to him, a lot of foreign tour and travel agents at present had started to work on tourism package to Indonesia.

"If Asita fails to compete with the foreign players, their free entry into the tourist destination areas in the country will have a negative impact on our tourism industry," Nirwandar said.

Nirwandar admitted that he did not want the foreign tour and travel agents dominate Indonesia's tourism potentials, although the inflow of foreign tourists into Indonesia would be greater.

But to date there has yet to be a legal umbrella or a standard rule of game in relation with the entry of foreign tour and travel agents into Indonesia.

He pointed out that a number foreign tour and travel agents such as FOX and Djoser in the Netherlands had marketed tourist packages to various destinations in Indonesia.

"Last year FOX successfully marketed tourism packages to Indonesia to 800 to 1,000 groups with averagely 30 people each," Nirwandar said.

He said FOX marketed the tourism packages to Indonesia through
Vacantiebeurs.