From Indonesia’s department for culture and tourism I discovered a booklet with tourism stats from 2006. The number of international visitors that year was around 4.8 million, a decline of 2.6% from 2005. Each visit was around 9 days in length and the average amount spent was $100 per day. I wish I could be investing $100 a day into the Indonesian economy, but unfortunately traveling as a student my budget will be considerably more limited. For backpackers the average daily spend is closer to $10-20 per day. Overall, tourist contribution to foreign exchange for 2006 was estimated at $4.4 billion, again a decline from 2005.
The top visitors to
- 1.) Singapore
- 2.) Malaysia
- 3.) Japan
- 4.) Taiwan
- 5.) South Korea
After that comes Australia, the UK, and then the US.
Males are the primary visitors at 65%, with the majority being from 35-44 in age. It’s good to take into consideration these numbers do include travel for business, which makes up 38% of the visitors. However, the main reason for visiting is still to take a holiday, or 56% of the visitors. And, in 2006 only 5% of those travelling were, like me, a student.
I also discovered tourism rules involving visas have changed, so most visas on arrival are now for only 30 days, not the previous 60 days, and you need to show proof of sufficient funds and a return/onward ticket. If you take the time to get a visa from an embassy in advance you can usually get longer visas, depending on the place. It’s thought that these policies have contributed to the diminishing tourism business. My plan is to try and get a 60 day tourist visa in advance from the embassy.
Here's a video someone put on Youtube of Indonesia ...
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