Indonesia Tourism set to recover this year predicts UNWTO

Indonesia's tourism should start to show signs of "definite improvement" by the second half of 2006, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli said following a meeting with the country's president in Jakarta.

"Support to Indonesia is part of our mission for international solidarity in times of crises," was the message Mr. Frangialli took to President H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as he praised the government for the positive and timely actions taken to counteract the "series of shocks" that had severely hit tourism to the country in the last few years.

"Indonesia was not able to join in the success of other Asian destinations which achieved an average 7% growth in 2005, and the first half of 2006 will continue to be a difficult period for the tourism industry," said Mr Frangialli.

But tourism did not collapse even with these repeated shocks, as crises continued to become an accepted part of tourism life. "The situation is encouraging and will definitely improve in the second half of the year. One year on from the tsunami, the future of tourism for Indonesia looks as bright and promising as before."

The president, in his reply, emphasized the need to promote international tourism and committed his country to work with UNWTO in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals, while Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik told him the country was pushing ahead with a promotional campaign in key markets such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

The Secretary-General arrived in Indonesia ahead of a UNWTO International Conference on Cultural Tourism and Local Communities, part of the Organization's recovery support programme for the country, being staged in Yogyakarta from 8-10 February.

UNWTO's first major event in the Asia Pacific region this year, the conference attracted more than 300 participants from 29 countries and various international organizations, to discuss leading issues such as how to develop tourism products for historical sites and the potential of cultural tourism to benefit local communities.

"Poverty alleviation in the developing world is one of the foremost issues of our time," Mr Frangialli said at the opening ceremony. "As a specialized agency of the United Nations, the UNWTO is committed to assisting the international community towards the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals, in particular the reduction of extreme poverty."

Cultural tourism could contribute significantly to this objective, especially in cities like Yogyakarta with its "world-class tourist attractions".

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