PEOPLE'S INTEREST IN OVERSEAS TRAVEL STILL HIGH : MINISTER

Denpasar, Bali Province, Jan 12 (ANTARA) - The global financial crisis has not reduced people's interest in overseas travel, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said here Monday.
"For example, the number of tourists coming to Bali is still high. Moreover, the recent ASEAN tourism ministers' meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, has agreed to encourage people in the respective ASEAN countries to travel to other countries in the region," Wacik said.
Speaking at a session of the 13th meeting of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA), the minister said according to data collected from international travel agents, the rate of tourist visits was still showing stable numbers despite the current global crisis. However, there were changes in the number of days and money spent by tourists in destination countries.
"Last year was a fantastic one for Indonesia since we had 6.4 million foreign tourists who each spent an avarage of US$ 1,178," the minister said.
For 2009, Indonesia had set its foreign tourist arrival target at 6.5 million and their average spending at US$ 1,000, he said.
Wacik said he believed people's desire to travel in the world would remain high. "But they won't travel far. For example, European tourists would only travel in their own region. Therefore, this year, we shall stimulate regional tourism in ASEAN ," he said.