Indonesia’s tourism sector to focus on emerging markets

Jakarta (IANS): Indonesia’s tourism sector will focus on emerging markets in 2012 as they are relatively resistant to global financial crisis, a minister said here Thursday.

“In 2012, we target markets that are not (relatively) affected by crisis,” Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Elka Pangestu told a press conference.

However, she said, even though crisis hit European countries and the US, their nationals keep coming to Indonesia for holidays.

“They keep coming even though the figures are not too big,” said Pangestu.

She said that during 2011, tourists from Britain consist of 2.8 per cent of total coming to Indonesia, the Netherlands 2.3 per cent, Germany 1.5 per cent and France 7.55 per cent, reported Xinhua.

“We still can’t provide figures from the United States. But, I think, the figures are not big,” she said.

She said growth of Asian markets is stable in 2011.

“Singaporean tourists consists of 11.4 per cent of total foreigners, Australia 22.9 percent, China 15.9 per cent, India 14.8 per cent and the Philippines 20.8 per cent,” she said.