JAKARTA (TheInsiderStories) - The tourism sector had contributed 4.23 percent to Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015, exceeding the four percent target set by the government. As for job creation, the sector managed to absorb 12.16 million laborers from the initial target of 11.3 million.
“Overall, policies in the tourism development in 2015 were on track and we could achieve our targets,” said Arief Yahya on Wednesday (Dec. 30).
Arief estimated that Indonesia’s tourism sector is expected to grow 5.81 percent in full year 2015, which is higher compared to other ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia, which experienced negative growth of 9.43 percent in the period of January to June 2015.
Singapore and Vietnam also suffered negative growth from January to October 2015 period with negative growth of 0.09 percent and 1.27 percent respectively. Thailand, on the other hand, experienced 22.34 percent growth in the period of January to November 2015 from the same period last year.
“From our major tourist destinations compared with those in neighboring countries, we can see that Indonesia has a large tourism potential, but it hasn’t been fully harnessed,” said Arief.
The Tourism Ministry expects the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia would reach 10 million this year. In the ten months to October, the number of foreign visitors reached 8.02 million people, up 3.38 percent compared to the same period last year at 7.76 million people. Looking at the ten months data, Arief has said that the target to record foreign visitors of 10 million people this year is within reach. (*)