Minister Optimistic 2011 Foreign Tourist Arrival Target To Be Met

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said she was optimistic the country's foreign tourist arrival target for this year - set at 7.7 million -  will be met.

"We are optimistic the target of foreign tourist arrivals this year will be met. Although there is a debt crisis in Europe it has not affected tourist arrivals," the minister said here on Wednesday.

On the sidelines of a visit to Benoa port to inspect the planned development of a marina there the minister said it would take hard work and optimism while being realistic to achieve the target.

"We will intensify marketing to countries with good growth while providing attractive products such as cruise ship services," she said.

She said cruise ship tours were one of the promising products because "those taking a cruise ship tour usually also wish to see busy spots,  cultures and nature and we have them all."

To intensify cruise ship tourism development the minister said that the government had already allocated Rp2 billion to Rp4 billion for it. Miami in the US will be made a target of the promotions, she said.

"A big cruise ship could carry 4,000 tourists. So far we have only been able to accommodate 2,000. So the port of Benoa will  be renovated  and upgraded to become  a marina and a cruise ship port," she said in the company of the general manager of state port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III chapter of Benoa, Iwan Sabatinin.

Iwan said he wished to create a marina zone which would later be exclusively used by  small and big cruise ships.

"We have a empty area around the present port and we will use it for the project. We hope it will  be finished in 2013 in conjunction with  the completion of a toll road project there. The cost is estimated at Rp4 trillion or more," he said.

He said no investor had been found yet for the project  but some private parties from China and South Korea had already expressed their interest. The port was expected to be 975 meters long and 750 meters wide or covering around 37 hectares of land, he said.

He said Bali is promising for a cruise ship tourism development. Cruise ship tourism has developed well in other countries and so Indonesia must catch  up, he said.

He said the number of cruise ship arrivals and passengers in Benoa was up by 25 percent in 2011 from that in 2010.

"In 2010, a total of 28 cruise ships arrived at the port. At the end of 2011,  35 cruise ships are expected to have arrived there. In 2012 there will be 38. Most of the passengers are from China, Singapore and Australia," he said.(*)