TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government expresses optimism about achieving its moderate target of 8.6 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2013, and places yet another target for 2014 at 9.2 million, reports Antara News.

The country’s target to receive foreign tourist arrivals in 2013 will be achieved due to an annual growth in foreign tourist visits noted over the years, stated Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu.

"Every year, the growth of international tourist arrivals reaches about seven to eight percent. So, we are optimistic that this years target will also be achieved," the minister remarked during a year-end press conference, here on Tuesday.

Pangestu noted that based on her ministry’s estimate, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in 2013 will reach about 8,637,275, or a growth of 7.37 percent from the previous year (2012), which reached 8.04 million tourists.

The government had set the lowest target (pessimistic target) of foreign tourist arrivals in 2013 at 8.3 million, moderate target at 8.6 million and highest target (optimistic target) at 8.9 million.

"The arrivals of foreign tourists showed an upward trend from year to year. Foreign exchange contributed by the tourism sector also increased from year to year. It is higher than the national economic growth," noted Mari Elka Pangestu.

"In terms of domestic tourist trips during 2013, the number of trips is estimated at 248 million, with an average spending on each trip reaching Rp711 thousand," Minister Pangestu stated.

Data at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy showed that the tourism sector in 2013 absorbed 10.18 million workers, up from 9.41 million in 2012.

During a visit, each foreign tourists spending in 2013 reached US$1,142, such that the amount of foreign exchange the country will earn this year amounts to US$9.78 billion, or an increase of 8.17 percent from a year earlier.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has also set another foreign tourist arrival target for 2014 at 9.2 million. The target of 9.2 million foreign tourist visits in 2013 is 7.5 percent higher than the target in 2013 at 8.6 million.

Even though the number of tourist visits in Indonesia has continued to increase over the past few years, the growth is slow when compared to that of other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

During the crisis in 1998, the tourist arrival targets in ASEAN member countries were almost the same. For example, Malaysia set a target of 5.5 million, Thailand 7.7 million, Singapore 6.2 million and Indonesia 4.6 million.

But Indonesia has now lagged far behind, with Malaysia’s target this year (2013) reaching 26.8 million, Thailand 25 million, Singapore between 14.8 million and 15.5 million and Indonesia 8.6 million.

ANTARA