ID :
64512
Sat, 06/06/2009 - 17:09
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https://www.oananews.org//node/64512
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Q1 FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS REACH 1.8 MILLION
Padang, W Sumatra, June 6 (ANTARA) - The number of foreign tourists who visited Indonesia during the first quarter of this year reached 1,893,155, a senior tourism ministry official said here over the weekend.
"Most of the foreign tourists who arrived in the country in the first quarter of this year came from Australia, Malaysia and China," Nia Nurcaya, director for tourism convention, incentive and promotion affairs of the directorate general for tourism and culture, said.
She said that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2009 increased 1.53 percent if compared to those arriving in the same period a year earlier.
The increase in the tourist visits in the first quarter is significant encouraging as it happens at a time when the country is facing the impact of global economic crisis.
Nia said that the international tourist flows in other countries in the first quarter of 2009 were declining.
That's why the increase in the country's foreign tourist arrivals display a positive indications to the tourist development.
However, according to a travel operators association, foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia in the first quarter of this year only rose around 0.46 percent compared with the same period last year.
The general chairperson of the Association of the Indonesian Tour and Travel Agency (ASITA), Ben Sukma, said last month the rise in tourist arrivals had been small because of several factors including global economic crisis and spread of swine flu.
Ben said the number of foreign tourist arrivals was expected to rise after the presidential election in July.
According to the ministry of tourism and culture around 80 percent or 4.4 millions of around seven millions targeted to arrive in the country in 2009 would be those who had ever visited the country before.***2***
"Most of the foreign tourists who arrived in the country in the first quarter of this year came from Australia, Malaysia and China," Nia Nurcaya, director for tourism convention, incentive and promotion affairs of the directorate general for tourism and culture, said.
She said that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2009 increased 1.53 percent if compared to those arriving in the same period a year earlier.
The increase in the tourist visits in the first quarter is significant encouraging as it happens at a time when the country is facing the impact of global economic crisis.
Nia said that the international tourist flows in other countries in the first quarter of 2009 were declining.
That's why the increase in the country's foreign tourist arrivals display a positive indications to the tourist development.
However, according to a travel operators association, foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia in the first quarter of this year only rose around 0.46 percent compared with the same period last year.
The general chairperson of the Association of the Indonesian Tour and Travel Agency (ASITA), Ben Sukma, said last month the rise in tourist arrivals had been small because of several factors including global economic crisis and spread of swine flu.
Ben said the number of foreign tourist arrivals was expected to rise after the presidential election in July.
According to the ministry of tourism and culture around 80 percent or 4.4 millions of around seven millions targeted to arrive in the country in 2009 would be those who had ever visited the country before.***2***
