http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailbusiness.asp?fileid=20060629.L01&irec=0
RI aims to lure more Arab tourists The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government has set itself a target of attracting one million tourists from the Middle East over the coming four years. Only 40,000 Arabs visited the country last year, representing a slight increase from the 38,337 recorded the previous year. State Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said Wednesday that the Middle Eastern market had great potential as most Arabs were wealthy, as shown by their countries' income per capita. According to figures from the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Qatar had the highest income per capita among the Middle Eastern countries last year at US$37,610, followed by the United Arab Emirates at $22.017, Kuwait at $19,559, Bahrain at $13,848, Oman at $10,339, Saudi Arabia at $9,972 and Lebanon at $5,225. "These high income levels encourage Arabs to travel around the world -- something that is supported by their long holiday season from June to September each year," Wacik said during a seminar on the country's tourism marketing strategy for the Middle East. In 2005, he said, more than seven million Arabs traveled abroad. "About 70 percent, or 4.8 million, of the tourists were from Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates came second on 1.6 million, Kuwait third on 1.3 million, Oman fourth on 700,000 and Bahrain fifth on 400,000," said Wacik. He added that the political situation since September 11 also provided an opportunity for Indonesia as many Arabs now preferred to travel to the Asian countries rather than to the United States or Europe. Given the huge opportunities, the government is preparing marketing strategies to achieve its target of one million Arab tourists in the four years ending 2009. These strategies, said Wacik, included the extension of the visa-on-arrival facility to more Middle Eastern countries. "At present, the government offers visas on arrival to nine Middle Eastern countries, an increase from the previous seven countries," he said. Wacik added that the government would also erect signage in Arabic at tourist attractions and public places, and provide more accommodation facilities, including five-star hotels in Puncak, West Java, a favorite destination for Arabs due to its cool climate. He also said the government would foster better air links with the Middle East. "Current services between Indonesia and the Middle East can carry 3.5 million passengers per annum, based on agreements with six countries -- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Yemen," Wacik said. The government would also continue to promote Indonesia in the Middle East, and would encourage Indonesian people working there to distribute tourist brochures. printer friendly [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/6pRQfA/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Reading only, http://dear.to/ppi 4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
