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Indonesia : Dont Believe All the Media Hype !
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Indonesia’s tourism industry which received about 5.1 million foreign visitors last year is hoping to attract 5.4 million in 2001 and around 6.9 million by 2004. That is a lot of tourists and just goes to show this archipelago of some 13,000 Islands has a lot to offer the visitor. Whether it be the tropical rain forests of Kalimantan and Sumatra, the intriguing history of Jave and Sulawesi or the special charms of Bali.
Important origin markets for foreign visitors include Japan, Taiwan, Germany, the US and the Netherlands but there are plans to entice more visitors from China, South Africa, West Asia and Eastern Europe. More and more young Briton’s , Australians and Americans are also including a visit to Indonesia during their travels in South East Asia.
The overwhelmingly dominant tourism destination in Indonesia is ,of course, Bali. The wonderful beaches, temples, cultural and artistic traditions of the Balinese are a major pull factor for foreign tourists. Other popular tourism destinations in the Republic include the capital Jakarta, which attracts business tourists as well as leisure tourists, Yogyakarta, Lombok and Biintan Island in Riau. The latter is especially popular with visitors from neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia. Other favoured ports of call are Medan and particularly Lake Toba in Sumatra, Bukit Tinggi and Padang, and nature tourists are attracted by the tropical rain forest of Kalimantan.
I have visited Indonesia on a large number of occasions having attended conferences in Jakarta,holidaying in Padang and Bukit Tinngi, and working on a project in Riau with Pekan Baru as my base.On all of my visits I encountered great friendliness and always felt very safe.One was always greeted "".. Selamat Page Pak"" - Good Morning Sir- and quite a lot of young Indonesians loved to try out their broken English on me.
Access into Indonesia is relatively good. There are, for instance, no less than 23 international airports designated as gateways for foreign tourists including Pekan Baru, Jakarta, Denpasar (Bali), Medan and Padang.
Whilst the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have designated these gateways, they are frankly not all having international standard infrastructure and facilities commensurate with their status as international airports. Still you will find there are plenty of flights into Indonesia from major regional destinations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Manila.
Deterrents to tourism, well publicized in the international media, have included violence and civil strife in Kalimantan, Acheh and some other parts of the country and industrial action by workers in the hotel industry. There have been ethnic clashes between Madurese settlers and Dayaks. Bad news always sells!
However, security problems facing foreign tourists are, in my view, somewhat exagerrated. The chances of foreign travellers to favoured spots such as Bali, Jakarta, Bintan or Lake Toba, being confronted by violence is very low indeed.
Indonesia has a great deal to offer the enquiring visitor and is a comparatively low-cost destination. It has exotic beach resorts, tropical weather, a fascinating culture and offers value for money : a good combination for luring visitors. For those seeking a romantic gateway, Bali, is just about perfect.
All in all,a visit to Indonesia is recommended and you will also find a good deal of the media hype is really just that. A sojourn in this country would soon debunk a lot of myths. Do try and Check it Out!
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