Indonesia targets 8 mln foreign tourist arrivals in 2012

Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Elka Pangestu said the government has set a target of 8 million foreign holidaymakers coming into the country next year. The target is higher than this year's 7.7 million people, which will be achieved partly through building infrastructures and boosting marketing, a media reported here on Tuesday. The minister said that the government was looking to attract visitors from countries that have emerged relatively unscathed from the credit crisis including China, India and Australia. "Investing heavily in infrastructure will allow us to rapidly develop tourism," Mari was quoted by the Jakarta Globe as saying. The number of foreign holidaymakers visiting Indonesia rose by 8.26 percent to 5.61 million people in the first nine months, the Statistic Bureau announced on Nov. 1. In Bali, the center of Indonesia's tourist industry, the number of foreign tourist arrival rose by 8.75 percent to 252,900 people in September year on year, it said. Over 7 million foreign tourists coming into the country last year, according to the tourism ministry. The government expects 8.4 billion U.S. dollars from tourists' spending this year, up from 7.6 billion U.S. dollar last year. The Indonesian tourism industry has recovered from the impact of terrorism, and epidemics.