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Indonesia achieves 2013 foreign tourist target

Indonesia has fulfilled its target of attracting 8.6 million foreign tourists in 2013, and plans to increase the number to 9.2 million in the following year.
Indonesia has fulfilled its target of attracting 8.6 million foreigntourists in 2013, and plans to increase the number to 9.2 million inthe following year.

The growth of overseas arrivalsto the country reaches about 7-8 percent annually, according to Tourismand Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu.

The number of foreign visitors by the year-end is estimated at 8.63million, far higher than the previous year’s figure of 8.04 million andrepresenting an increase of 7.37 percent, she noted.

Tourists’ average spending amounted to 1,142 USD per person, up 8.17percent against the 2012 figure, bringing total foreign currencyrevenues of 9.78 billion USD.

The positiveoutcome has helped the local tourism sector reach a growth of 5.76percent in 2013 and earn over 641 trillion Rp (53 billion USD).

Though the number of tourists to Indonesia has increased over thepast few years, the growth remains slow when compared to those of othercountries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),Pangestu said.

During the crisis in 1998, thetourist arrival targets in ASEAN member states were almost the same. ButIndonesia has now lagged far behind, with Malaysia this year targetingto serve 26.8 million visitors, Thailand 25 million, Singapore 15million, and Indonesia only 8.6 million.-VNA
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