Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s tourism which has continued to grow in recent years is considered immune to the impact of economic crises so that it is being touted as a safety belt for the country in the face of the ongoing global economic meltdown.
"Indonesian tourism is not vulnerable to economic crisis so that the tourism sector along with the domestic market can serve as a safety belt for the national economy," Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said on Wednesday (Dec. 7).
Over the last three years, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the country has continued to increase where in 2009 it rose to 6.4 million and to over 7 million in 2010. This year the tourism ministry is targeting 7.7 million arrivals.
"The tourism sector is Indonesia`s safety belt against global crisis because it is not as fragile as other sectors such as trade," she said at a seminar organized by ANTARA National News Agency.
The increase in the number of tourist arrivals indicates that tourism is not much affected by global crisis, just like other tourism in the world. The UN-World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recorded a positive growth in global tourism, namely 6.6 percent in 2010 while up to recently it had risen to 4.5 percent
This was a positive development if it is compared with its development during the previous crisis when it faced a global challenge. The development of the tourism sector in the span of 15 months in the 2008-2009 period experienced negative growth.
