Industry Faces Difficulties In Marketing Jakarta's Tourism Packages

Jakarta, Jan 29 (Antara) - Tourism industry operators have indicated that they were facing problems in marketing Jakarta tourism packages in the recent days, a tourist operator stated. "Frankly speaking, we are now confused and get stressed about selling Jakarta tourism packages this year," Rudiana, the chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) for Jakarta Chapter, stated here on Wednesday. Rudiana explained that although relatively Jakarta had good facilities, the classic problem of traffic woes and floods in the city have served as significant constraints. After all, the Jakarta government`s policy to procure five tourist buses faced a threat simply because they could not be operated optimally due to serious traffic congestions. "The breakthrough in procuring five tourist buses for operations in February 2014 was good, but in such traffic conditions, they cannot be operated maximally," he noted. Rudiana, who is also Wita Tour sales marketing director, stated that Jakarta actually had very good potentials to be developed as a Meeting, Incentive, Conference and Exhibition (MICE) destination. "Yet, infrastructure and facilities remain the main factors that will play an important role in the development of tourism in Jakarta," he remarked. This means that the existing good facilities in Jakarta can utilized optimally only when other supporting facilities function well enough, he added. Therefore, Rudiana called on all parties, the government in particular, to draw up strategic and applicative plans, not just any plan that is discussed in meetings alone.