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Over 1.3 Million Tourists Cancel Visit to Indonesia
Over 1.3 million tourists have canceled trips to Indonesia because of heightening anti-American sentiment since the United States launched air strikes against Afghanistan.
"We are in a difficult position as several countries, especially western countries, are warning their citizens who planned to make trips here not to come due to our domestic political situation," State Minister of Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arif was quoted by the Jakarta Post Friday as saying.
The cancellation means that Indonesia will suffer a potential loss of 1.1 billion U.S. dollars in income, based on a 2000 survey that states that one tourist in Bali spends 77.35 U.S. dollars per day with a stay averaging 11 days.
The government as well as some private institutions have predicted that tourist arrivals will decline this year, from the 5. 1 million tourists recorded last year and the 4.8 million in 1999.
Syamsul attributed the projected drop of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia not only to travel warnings issued by some western governments but also to the increased cost of traveling by air.
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, airlines around the world, including national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, have had to increase their airfares simply because they have to pay more insurance premiums for their aircraft.
Bali tourism authorities report that hotel occupancy rates on the resort island have dropped from between 70 to 80 percent to around 20 to 30 percent.
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