Indonesian Tourism The 30th In Competitiveness In The World

Pontianak, W Kalimantan (Antara Bali) - The Indonesian tourism is  placed the 30th in competitiveness in the world, gaining from the 50th in 2015, the tourism ministry  said.

Assistant Deputy for Marketing Strategy at the Ministry  Hariyanto the position has risen steadily  from the 80th in 2009  based on data from the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI).

"The TTCI data also indicated that the country's tourism industry has increased," Hariyanto said at a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on "cross border" here on Thursday.

He attributed the progress made in the country's tourism industry  mainly to greater seriousness of the government in developing the sector.

The government has provided largest budget for development of the country tourism sector, he added.

He said now the tourism sector has become a core economy for Indonesia as indicated by the high target set for foreign exchange income from the sector.

"In 2019 , the tourism industry is projected to be the country's largest foreign exchange earner contributing US$24 billion to the country's total foreign exchange income . It would exceed earning from the oil and gas sector, coal, and crude palm oil sectors," he said.

He said Indonesia tourism is also expected to be best in the Asean region. The main rival is Thailand with foreign exchange earning reaching US$40 billion.

The government has been more aggressive in promoting the country's tourism objects by launching a number of program such as Wonderful Indonesia abroad, international cycling races in a number of areas like Tour de Flores.

The government has also built infrastructure such as new airports, and modernized existing ones , and built modern ports for tourist boats. (WDY)