Tourism

Boasting some of the world’s greatest biodiversity and dynamic landscapes, Indonesia has long been a popular destination amongst tourists. The development of an Islamic heritage niche has seen an increase in arrivals from Gulf countries. Arrivals from the UAE and Saudi Arabia increased 122.4% and 34.2%, respectively, in 2013. The number of air travellers to Indonesia rose 15% in 2012, reaching 72.6m. Projections for 2013 were high, with as many as 83.4m travellers forecast to fly through Indonesia’s airports. Once the ASEAN single market integration is complete in 2015, there will be a regional market to serve some 600m potential tourists. The government spent approximately $1.53m on international marketing efforts in 2013, focusing on events in new markets such as China, India and Turkey. Infrastructure hurdles and human resource recruitment remain the top challenges, but the government’s prioritisation of tourism as a key source of economic growth is a good sign. As the nation’s $43bn infrastructure investment budget continues to support projects, tourism is set to benefit from improved connectivity. This chapter contains an interview with Anthony Akili, President and CEO, Smailing Tours.