Indonesia possess rich and colourful culture, such as Barong dance performance in Bali.
In year 2015, 9.73 million international visitors entered Indonesia, staying in hotels for an average of 7.5 nights and spending an average of US$1,142 per person during their visit, or US$152.22 per person per day. Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, and Japan are the top five sources of visitors to Indonesia.
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 ranks Indonesia 50th out of 141 countries overall. The report ranks the price competitiveness of Indonesia's tourism sector the 3rd out of 141 countries. It mentions that Indonesia has quite good travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions (ranked 9th). The country also scores quite good on natural and cultural resources (ranked 17th). However, the country scored rather low in infrastructure sub-index (ranked 75th), as some aspect of tourist service infrastructure are underdeveloped.
In 2016, the government was reported to be investing more in tourism development by attracting more foreign investors. The government has given priority to 10 destinations as follows: Borobudur, Central Java; Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara; Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara; Bromo-Tengger-Semeru, East Java; Thousand Islands, Jakarta; Toba, North Sumatra; Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi; Tanjung Lesung, Banten; Morotai, North Maluku; and Tanjung Kelayang, Belitung. As quoted in the Jakarta Post, the government is aiming for 275 million trips by domestic tourists by end of 2019. The government has also secured commitments from potential investors, totalling US$70 million in the areas of building accommodation, marina and ecotourism facilities in 3 of the 10 areas.
Wakatobi National Park, Southeast Sulawesi.
Overview
Borobudur is the single most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia.
Both nature and culture are major components of Indonesian tourism. The natural heritage can boast a unique combination of a tropical climate, a vast archipelago of 17,508 islands, 6,000 of them being inhabited, the second longest shoreline in the world (54,716 km) after Canada. It is the worlds largest and most populous country situated only on islands. The beaches in Bali, diving sites in Bunaken, Mount Bromo in East Java, Lake Toba and various national parks in Sumatra are just a few examples of popular scenic destinations. These natural attractions are complemented by a rich cultural heritage that reflects Indonesia's dynamic history and ethnic diversity. One fact that exemplifies this richness is that 719 living languages are used across the archipelago. The ancient Prambanan and Borobudur temples, Toraja, Yogyakarta, Minangkabau, and of course Bali, with its many Hindu festivities, are some of the popular destinations for cultural tourism.
Tourism in Indonesia is currently overseen by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism. International tourism campaigns have been focusing largely on its tropical destinations with white sand beaches, blue sky, and cultural attractions. Beach resorts and hotels have been developed in some popular tourist destinations, especially Bali island as the primary destination. At the same time, the integration of cultural affairs and tourism under the scope of the same ministry shows that cultural tourism is considered an integral part of Indonesia's tourism industry, and conversely, that tourism is used to promote and preserve the cultural heritage.
Some of the challenges Indonesia's tourism industry has to face include the development of infrastructure to support tourism across the sprawling archipelago, incursions of the industry into local traditions (adat), and the impact of tourism development on the life of local people. The tourism industry in Indonesia has also faced setbacks due to problems related to security. Since 2002, warnings have been issued by some countries over terrorist threats and ethnic as well as religious conflicts in some areas, significantly reducing the number of foreign visitors for a few years. However, the number of international tourists has bounced back positively since 2007, and reached a new record in 2008 and then made a new record every year and in 2014 set at 9,435,411 foreign tourists.
In 2015, based on World Economic Forum survey, Indonesia got Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index score 4.04 and rank at number 50, (up from number 70 in 2013, number 74 in 2011 and number 81 in 2009) from 141 countries. Aspects that need to be improved to move up the rank ladder are; tourism and ICT infrastructures, health and hygiene, environmental sustainability, and affinity for travel and tourism.
Branding
Garuda Indonesia aeroplane with Visit Indonesia logo
In late January 2011 Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik announced that "Wonderful Indonesia" would replace the previous "Visit Indonesia Year" branding used by the nation's official tourism promotional campaigns, although the logo of stylised curves Garuda remain. The minister announced that in 2010, foreign tourists visiting Indonesia touched 7 million and made predictions of 7.7 million in 2011. He was reported as describing the new branding as reflecting "the country's beautiful nature, unique culture, varied food, hospitable people and price competitiveness. "We expect each tourist will spend around US$1,100 and with an optimistic target of 7.7 million arrivals, we will get $8.3 billion," from this. The Culture and Tourism Minister added that 50 percent of the revenue would be generated from about 600 meetings, conventions and exhibitions that were expected to take place in various places throughout the country 2011. He further added in the announcements of January 2011 that his ministry would be promoting the country's attractions under the eco-cultural banner.
The ten most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia recorded by Central Statistics Agency (BPS) are Bali, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Jakarta, North Sumatra, Lampung, South Sulawesi, South Sumatra, Banten and West Sumatra (which would make it 11 provinces today due to Banten previously having been a part of West Java).
As with most countries, domestic tourists are by far the largest market segment. The biggest movement of domestic tourists is during the annual Eid ul-Fitr, locally known as lebaran. During this period, which is a two-week holiday after the month of fasting during Ramadan, many city-dwelling Muslim Indonesians visit relatives in their home towns. Intercity traffic is at its peak and often an additional surcharge is applied during this time.
Over the five years up to 2006, attention has been focused on generating more domestic tourism. Competition amongst budget airlines has increased the number of domestic air travellers throughout the country. Recently, the Ministry of Labour legislated to create long weekends by combining public holidays that fall close to weekends, except in the case of important religious holidays. During these long weekends, most hotels in popular destinations are fully booked.
Since 2000, on average, there have been five million foreign tourists each year (see table), who spend an average of US$100 per day. With an average visit duration of 9–12 days, Indonesia gains US$4.6 billion of foreign exchange income annually. This makes tourism Indonesia's third most important non-oil–gas source of foreign revenue, after timber and textile products.
After toppled Japan two years ago, China as the world's biggest tourism spenders now toppled Australia to become number three with 30.42 percent increase year-on-year (y-o-y), while totally foreign tourists growth by 10.6 percent y-o-y set to more than 2.9 million. The top countries of origin Q1 2014 data is come from the Asia-Pacific region, with Singapore (15.7 percent), Malaysia (14.0), China (11.0), Australia and Japan among the top countries of origin. The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are the largest sources of European visitors. Although Dutch visitors are at least in part keen to explore the historical relationships, many European visitors are seeking the tropical weather at the beaches in Bali.
Around 59% of all visitors are travelling to Indonesia for holiday, while 38% for business purposes.
In 2012, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council travel and tourism made a total contribution of 8.9% of GDP and supported 8% of total employment in Indonesia.
Historical context
Hotel des Indes in Batavia, 1910
Indonesia seems to have been a travel destination for centuries. Some panels in Borobudur bas-reliefs depicted drink vendors, warungs (small restaurant), tavern or lodging where people drinking and dancing. The historical record about travel in Indonesia can be found since 14th century. The Nagarakretagama reported about King Hayam Wuruk's royal travel throughout Majapahit realm in East Java with large numbers of carriages, accompanied by nobles, royal courtiers, officials and servants. Although it seems as stately affair, for some instances the king's journey is somewhat resembles modern day tour, as the king visited numbers of interesting places; from temples such as Palah and Jajawa, to enjoying mountain scenery, having bath in petirtaan (bathing pools) and beach. The 15th-century travelogue of Bujangga Manik, a travelling Hindu scholar-priest from Pakuan Pajajaran, reported about his travel around Java and Bali. Although his travel was a pilgrimage one; visiting temples and sacred places in Java and Bali, sometimes he behaves like a modern-day tourist, such as sitting around fanning his body while enjoying beautiful mountain scenery in Puncak area, look upon Gede volcano that he describes as the highest point around Pakuan Pajajaran (capital of Sunda kingdom).
Fort Rotterdam in Makassar
Initially the tourism, service and hospitality sector in Dutch East Indies were developed to cater the lodging, entertainment and leisure needs of domestic visitors, especially the wealthy Dutch plantation owners and merchants during their stay in the city. In the 19th century, colonial heritage hotels equipped with dance halls, live music and fine dining restaurants were established in Dutch East Indies urban areas, such as Hotel des Indes (est. 1829) in Batavia (now Jakarta), Savoy Homann Hotel (est. 1871) in Bandung, Hotel Oranje (est. 1910) in Surabaya, and Hotel De Boer in Medan. Since the 19th century Dutch East Indies has attracted visitors from The Netherlands. The first national tourism bureau was the Vereeeging Toeristen Verkeer, established by Governor General of Dutch East Indies in early 20th century, and shared their head office in Batavia with Koninklijke Nederlansch Indische Luchtfahrt Maatschapijj (part of KLM) that began to fly from Amsterdam to Batavia in 1929. In 1913, Vereeneging Touristen Verkeer wrote a guide book about tourism places in the Indies. Since then Bali become known to international tourist with foreign tourist arrivals rose for more than 100% in 1927. Much of the international tourism of the 1920s and 1930s was by international visitors on oceanic cruises. The 1930s did see a modest but significant influx of mainly European tourists and longer term stayers to Bali. Many came for the blossoming arts scene in the Ubud area, which was as much a two-way exchange between the Balinese and outsiders as it was an internal phenomenon.
Tourism more or less disappeared during World War II, Indonesian National Revolution and in the early years of the Sukarno era. On 1 July 1947, the government of Republic of Indonesia tried to revive tourism sector in Indonesia by establishing HONET (Hotel National & Tourism) led by R. Tjitpo Ruslan. This new national tourism authority took over many of the colonial heritage hotels in Java and renamed them all "Hotel Merdeka". After Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference in 1949, this tourism authority changed its name to NV HORNET. In 1952 the President formed the Inter-Departement Committee on Tourism Affairs which is responsible for reestablishing Indonesia as the world's tourism destination. National pride and identity in the late 1950s and early 1960s was incorporated into the monumentalism of Sukarno in Jakarta— and this included the development of grand multi-storied international standard hotels and beach resorts, such as Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta (est. 1962), Ambarrukmo Hotel in Yogyakarta (est. 1965), Samudra Beach Hotel in Pelabuhan Ratu beach West Java (est. 1966), and Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel in Bali (est. 1966). The political and economic instability of the mid-1960s saw tourism decline radically again. Bali, and in particular the small village of Kuta, was however, in the 1960s, an important stopover on the overland hippy trail between Australia and Europe, and a "secret" untouched surf spot.
In the early-to-mid-1970s, high standard hotels and tourist facilities began to appear in Jakarta and Bali. After the completion of Borobudur restoration project in 1982, Yogyakarta become a popular tourist destination in Indonesia after Bali, mostly attracted to this 8th-century Buddhist monument, surrounding ancient Javanese temples and Yogyakarta Sultanate palace. From this period to the end of the Suharto era, governmental policies of the tourism industry included an array of regulations and developments to encourage increasing numbers of international tourists to both visit Indonesia and stay longer.
Nature tourism
Sianok canyon in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra
Indonesia has a well-preserved, natural ecosystem with rainforests that stretch over about 57% of Indonesia's land (225 million acres), approximately 2% of which are mangrove systems. One reason why the natural ecosystem in Indonesia is still well-preserved is because only 6,000 islands out of 17,000 are permanently inhabited. Forests on Sumatra and Java are examples of popular tourist destinations. Moreover, Indonesia has one of longest coastlines in the world, measuring 54,716 kilometres (33,999 mi), with a number of beaches and island resorts, such as those in southern Bali, Lombok, Bintan and Nias Island. However, most of the well-preserved beaches are those in more isolated and less developed areas, such as Karimunjawa, the Togian Islands, and the Banda Islands.
Dive sites
Raja Ampat, one of the world's richest marine biodiversity
With more than 17,508 islands, Indonesia presents ample diving opportunities. With 20% of the world's coral reefs, over 3,000 different species of fish and 600 coral species, deep water trenches, volcanic sea mounts, World War II wrecks, and an endless variety of macro life, scuba diving in Indonesia is both excellent and inexpensive. Bunaken National Marine Park, at the northern tip of Sulawesi, claims to have seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii, and has more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific. According to Conservation International, marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest recorded on Earth. Moreover, there are over 3,500 species living in Indonesian waters, including sharks, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, morays, cuttlefish, octopus and scorpionfish, compared to 1,500 on the Great Barrier Reef and 600 in the Red Sea. Tulamben Bay in Bali boasts the wreck of the 120 metres (390 ft) US Army commissioned transport vessel, the Liberty. Other popular dive sites on Bali are at Candidasa and Menjangan. Across the Badung Strait from Bali, there are several popular dive sites on Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida. Lombok's three Gilis (Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan) are popular as is Bangka. Some of the most famous diving sites in Indonesia are also the most difficult to reach, with places like Biak off the coast of Papua and the Alor Archipelago among the popular, more remote, destinations for divers.
Surf breaks
Surfing in Kuta beach, Bali
Surfing is also a popular water activity in Indonesia and the sites are recognised as world class. The well-known sports are mostly located on the southern, Indian Ocean side of Indonesia, for example, the large oceanic surf breaks on southern Java. However, the north coast does not receive the same surf from the Java Sea. Surf breaks can be found all the way along Sumatra, down to Nusa Tenggara, including Aceh, Bali, Banten, Java, Lombok, the Mentawai Islands, and Sumbawa. Although Indonesia has many world-class surfing spots, the majority of surfers are came from abroad, especially Australia and United States. However, the seed of local surfing enthusiast began develop in Bali and West Java's Pelabuhan Ratu and Pangandaran beach, mostly came from nearby cities of Jakarta and Bandung. On Bali, there are about 33 surf spots, from West Bali to East Bali including four on the offshore island of Nusa Lembongan. In Sumbawa, Hu'u and Lakey Beach in Cempi Bay are popular surfing spots among surfing enthusiast. Sumatra is the second island, with the most number of surf spots, with 18 altogether. The common time for surfing is around May to September with the trade winds blowing from east to south-east. From October to April, winds tend to come from the west to north-west, so the east coast breaks get the offshore winds.
Two well-known surf breaks in Indonesia are the G-Land in the Bay of Grajagan, East Java, and Lagundri Bay at the southern end of Nias island. G-Land was first identified in 1972, when a surfer saw the break from the window of a plane. Since 6 to 8-foot (Hawaiian scale) waves were discovered by surfers at Lagundri Bay in 1975, the island has become famous for surfing worldwide.
National parks
Komodo dragon at Komodo National Park
Bogor Botanical Gardens established in 1817, and Cibodas Botanical Gardens established in 1862, are two among the oldest botanical gardens in Asia. With rich collections of tropical plants, these gardens is the centre of botanical research as well as tourism attraction since colonial era.
There are 50 national parks in Indonesia, of which six are World Heritage listed. The largest national parks in Sumatra are the 9,500-square-kilometre (3,700 sq mi) Gunung Leuser National Park, the 13,750-square-kilometre (5,310 sq mi) Kerinci Seblat National Park and the 3,568-square-kilometre (1,378 sq mi) Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, all three recognised as Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Other national parks on the list are Lorentz National Park in Papua, Komodo National Park in the Lesser Sunda Islands, and Ujung Kulon National Park in the west of Java.
To be noticed, different national parks offer different biodiversity, as the natural habitat in Indonesia is divided into two areas by the Wallace line. The Wallacea biogeographical distinction means the western part of Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan) have the same flora and fauna characteristics as the Asian continent, whilst the remaining eastern part of Indonesia has similarity with the Australian continent.
Many native species such as Sumatran elephants, Sumatran tigers, Sumatran rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros and orangutans are listed as endangered or critically endangered, and the remaining populations are found in national parks and other conservation areas. Sumatran orangutan can be visited in the Bukit Lawang conservation area, while the Bornean orangutan can be visited in Tanjung Puting national park, Central Kalimantan. The world's largest flower, rafflesia arnoldi, and the tallest flower, titan arum, can be found in Sumatra.
The east side of the Wallacea line offers the most remarkable, rarest, and exotic animals on earth. Birds-of-paradise, locally known as cendrawasih, are plumed birds that can be found among other fauna in Papua New Guinea. The largest bird in Papua is the flightless cassowary. One species of lizard, the Komodo dragon can easily be found on Komodo, located in the Nusa Tenggara lesser islands region. Besides Komodo island, this endangered species can also be found on the islands of Rinca, Padar and Flores.
Volcanoes
Mount Bromo and Semeru in East Java.
Hiking and camping in the mountains are popular adventure activities. Some mountains contain ridge rivers, offering rafting activity. Though volcanic mountains can be dangerous, they have become major tourist destinations. Several tourists have died on the slopes of Mount Rinjani, Indonesia's second highest volcano and a popular destination for climbers visiting Lombok in eastern Indonesia. Popular active volcanoes are the 2,329-metre (7,641 ft) high Mount Bromo in the East Java province with its scenic volcanic desert around the crater, the upturned boat shaped Tangkuban Perahu and the volcanic crater Kawah Putih, north and south of Bandung respectively and both with drive-in access up to the crater, the most active volcano in Java, Mount Merapi near Yogyakarta, and the legendary Krakatau with its new caldera known as anak krakatau (the child of Krakatau). Gede Pangrango volcano in West Java is also a popular hiking destination, especially among domestic hikers.
In Sumbawa, Mount Tambora with its historical massive volcanic eruption back in 1815 that produced massive caldera also had gained attention among hikers. In neighbouring island of Flores, the three-coloured volcanic crater-lake of Kelimutu is also hailed as one of Indonesia's natural wonder and had attracted visitors worldwide. Puncak Jaya in the Lorentz National Park, the highest mountain in Indonesia and one of the few mountains with ice caps at the (tropical) equator offers the opportunity of rock climbing. In Sumatra, there are the remains of a supervolcano eruption that have created the landscape of Lake Toba close to Medan in North Sumatra.
Cultural tourism
Bali is famous for its rich culture, Hindu festivals and dances
Papuan tribal war dance from Yapen.
Each of the larger Indonesian islands have at least one international airport. The biggest airport in Indonesia, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, is located in Tangerang Regency, Banten. There are five more international airports on Java, Adisumarmo International Airport (IATA: SOC) in Solo, Central Java, Juanda International Airport (IATA: SUB) in Surabaya, East Java, Achmad Yani International Airport (IATA: SRG) in Semarang, Central Java, Husein Sastranegara International Airport (IATA: BDO) in Bandung, West Java and Adisucipto International Airport (IATA: JOG) in Yogyakarta. On Kalimantan, there is one international airport and there are two on Sumatra such as Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, West Sumatra. Bali, which is part of the Nusa Tenggara Islands, has the Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS). Selaparang Airport (IATA: AMI) located on the west coast of Lombok was closed to flight operations on 30 September 2011. The new Lombok International Airport opened on 1 October 2011.
Selaparang Airport will either be redeveloped or may possibly be retained for development as Indonesia's first General Aviation hub airport. Sam Ratulangi International Airport, also known as Manado International Airport, is located in North Sulawesi, 13 kilometres northeast of Manado. The airport is named after the Minahasan educator and independence hero Sam Ratulangi. The Manado airport is also a hub to remote areas of Eastern Indonesia, including Halmahera with both Kao airport as well as Galela, Ambon, Tidore, and Irian Jaya or West Papua. There are also direct flights to Manado International Airport (IATA: MDC) from Singapore daily with Silk Air a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines.
There are three major tourists international airports arrivals, i.e. Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS) with 2.54 million, Soekarno-Hatta Airport (IATA: CGK) with 1.82 million and Hang Nadim Airport (IATA: BTH), also known as Hang Nadim International Airport, in Batam, Riau Islands with 1.007 million from 7.002 million international tourists recorded as arriving in Indonesia during 2010.
Visa regulations
Visa free
Tourists holding passport from the following 169 countries and territories are eligible to enter and remain in Indonesia without a visa for 30 days. The visa free facility does not allow the change into other permits or visa extension.
Rules
# - Passport holders who wish to enter Indonesia for the purpose of governmental duties, education, social and cultural reasons, tourism, business, journalistic or transit can do so without visa through all air, sea or land crossing points.
Passport holders from all other visa exempt countries can enter Indonesia without a visa for tourism purposes only and must enter through the following ports of entry.
Airport
Hang Nadim Airport
Juanda International Airport
Kualanamu International Airport
Ngurah Rai International Airport
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport
Seaport
Bandar Bentan Telani Lagoi (Tanjung Uban)
Bandar Seri Udana Lobam (Tanjung Uban)
Batam Center (Batam)
Citra Tri Tunas (Batam)
Marina Teluk Senimba (Batam)
Nongsa Terminal Bahari (Batam)
Sekupang (Batam)
Sri Bintan Pura (Tanjung Pinang)
Tanjung Balai Karimun
Visa on Arrival (VoA)
Nationals of the following 4 countries may apply for a Visa on Arrival for a length of stay of 30 days by paying US$35 at 20 airports, 23 seaports and the Entikong land crossing.
Andorra
Australia
Brazil
Libya
Nationals from all countries except Angola, Azerbaijan, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Tanzania, Vatican City and Venezuela that are eligible for visa-free entry for tourism purposes are still able to obtain a visa on arrival when entering via a port of entry with visa on arrival facilities other than 5 airports and 9 seaports specified for the visa-free entry facility .
Airport
Sumatra
Banda Aceh, Aceh
- Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport (BTJ)
Medan, North Sumatra
- Kuala Namu Airport (KNO)
Pekanbaru, Riau
- Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport (PKU)
Padang, West Sumatra
- Minangkabau International Airport (PDG)
Batam, Riau Islands
- Hang Nadim International Airport (BTH)
Palembang, South Sumatra
- Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport (PLM)
Java
Jakarta - Soekarno
–Hatta International Airport (CGK)
Jakarta
- Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (HLP)
Surabaya, East Java
- Juanda International Airport (SUB)
Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta
- Adisucipto International Airport (JOG)
Surakarta/Solo, Central Java
- Adisumarmo International Airport (SOC)
Bandung, West Java
- Husein Sastranegara International Airport (BDO)
Semarang, Central Java
- Achmad Yani International Airport (SRG)
Lesser Sunda Islands
Denpasar, Bali
- Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)
Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara
- Lombok International Airport (LOP)
Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara
- El Tari Airport (KOE)
Sulawesi
Makassar, South Sulawesi
- Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG)
Manado, North Sulawesi
- Sam Ratulangi International Airport (MDC)
Kalimantan
Balikpapan, East Kalimantan
- Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport (BPN)
Pontianak, West Kalimantan
- Supadio Airport (PNK)
Seaport
Riau Islands
Batam
- Sekupang, Citra Tri Tunas, Nongsa Terminal Bahari, Marina Teluk Senimba, Batam Center
Tanjung Uban
- Bandar Bentan Telani Lagoi, Bandar Seri Udana Lobam
Tanjung Pinang
- Sri Bintan Pura
Tanjung Balai Karimun
- Tanjung Balai Karimun
North Sumatra
Medan
- Belawan
Sibolga
- Sibolga
Riau
Dumai
- Yos Sudarso
West Sumatra
Padang
- Teluk Bayur
Jakarta
Jakarta
- Tanjung Priok
Central Java
Semarang
- Tanjung Mas
Bali
Badung
- Benoa
Karangasem
- Padang Bai
North Sulawesi
Bitung
- Bitung
South Sulawesi
Makassar
- Soekarno-Hatta
Pare-Pare
- Pare-Pare
East Nusa Tenggara
Maumere
- Maumere
Kupang
- Tenau
Papua
Jayapura
- Jayapura
Border crossing
Entikong, West Kalimantan
- Entikong Border Crossing
Visa before arrival
Nationals who are not eligible for visa free or VOA need to apply the visa at an Indonesian embassy or consulate.
Nationals from 10 following countries require an approval from Immigration Office in Indonesia before travelling for Business, Tourist and Social Visits purposes (this policy is called Indonesian Calling Visa):
Afghanistan
Cameroon
Guinea
Israel
Liberia
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Pakistan
Somalia
Indonesian tourism campaign
The rhino was the mascot of Visit Indonesia Year, 1991
The official Indonesian government authority that is responsible for tourism sector in Indonesia is the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia. Several campaign to promote Indonesian tourism has been launched, either by government or private sectors through various medias; printed media, television and internet.
Visit Indonesia Year 1991
Learning from neighbouring countries success, such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, that successfully gained benefit and exploited their tourism sector through intensive promotions, in the early 1990s the Indonesian government launched integrated efforts to promote Indonesian tourism worldwide. The first integrated campaign was coined as Visit Indonesia Year, the first year was the Visit Indonesia Year 1991.
Visit Indonesia Year 2008
The Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, declared 2008 as a Visit Indonesia Year. Visit Indonesia Year 2008 was officially launched on 26 December 2007. The figure of Visit Indonesia Year 2008 branding took the concept of Garuda Pancasila as the Indonesian way of life. The 5 components of pancasila were represented by 5 different coloured lines and symbolised the Indonesian Unity in Diversity. The targeted number was 7 million. Visit Indonesia Year 2008 was also commemorating 100 years of Indonesia's national awakening in 1908.
Visit Indonesia Year 2009
Kecak dance performance as a tourist attraction in Bali.
Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) 2009 was held at Santosa Villas & Resort in Senggigi on the west coast of Lombok NTB. Entering its 16th years of conduct, TIME 2009 was organised by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) and received the support of a wide number of tourism participants in Indonesia. TIME 2009 attracted 127 Buyers from 25 countries. The top five buyers were from Korea, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, and the Netherlands. TIME 2009 also attracted a total of 250 delegates of Sellers from 97 companies of Indonesia occupying 84 booths at the Exhibition. Sellers came from 15 provinces dominated by West Nusa Tenggara, Jakarta, Bali, Central Java, and East Kalimantan as top five Sellers. The percentage of Sellers based on industry was Hotel, Resort & Spa (75%), NTO (10%), Tour Operator/Travel Agent (7%), Adventure/Activity Holiday (3%), Airline (1.5%), and Others (Hotel Management, Tourism Board, Tourism Organization & Travel Portal 8.5%). Amidst current global financial crisis, TIME 2009 booked an estimated of transaction of US$17.48 million, or increasing 15% from the previous TIME held in Makassar, South Sulawesi in 2008.
Visit Indonesia Year 2010
Following the hosting on the island of Lombok in 2009 the event was again hosted in Lombok-Sumbawa on 12–15 October 2010 at Santosa Villas & Resort in Senggigi on the west coast of Lombok. Entering its 16th years, TIME is organised by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) and supported by a wide number of tourism participants in Indonesia. TIME 2010 was supported by the travel and tourism industry in Indonesia, including the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara Culture & Tourism Office, Lombok Sumbawa Promo, Garuda Indonesia as Official Airlines, other supporting airlines, Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA), Board of Airline Representatives Indonesia (BARINDO), Association of Indonesian Tours & Travel Agencies (ASITA), Indonesia Hotels and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Indonesian Conference and Convention Association (INCCA), Pacto Convex as the event organiser, supported by national and international media. Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara have set a target of wooing one million tourists to visit the islands by 2012.
Wonderful Indonesia (since 2011)
Cultural performance such as traditional dances is one of tourism attraction.
Wonderful Indonesia has been the slogan since January 2011 of an international marketing campaign directed by the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism to promote tourism. The campaign replaced the previous "Visit Indonesia Year" campaign which had been used since 1991. The "Wonderful Indonesia" concept highlights Indonesia's "wonderful" nature, cultures, people, food, and value for the money. After the campaign was launched, Indonesia reported an increase of foreign visitors; from 7,002,944 in 2010, to 7,649,731 in 2011; and 8,044,462 in 2012.
Pesona Indonesia (since 2014)
In December 2014, the new Minister of Tourism, Mr. Arief Yahya launched the new brand Pesona Indonesia to target domestic tourism market. Both Wonderful Indonesia and Pesona Indonesia have the same Garuda logo. The minister hope that both brands will be a single tourism identity for Indonesia.
Destination Management Organization
One program of Central Government is Destination Management Organization (DMO) which will involve all stake holders including the owners. The DMO target for 2010–2014 are 15 areas: Sabang, Toba, Jakarta Old City Area, Pangandaran, Borobudur, Tanjung Puting, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru, Batur Bali Area, Rinjani, Derawan Islands, Toraja, Bunaken, Wakatobi, Raja Ampat, Komodo-Kelimutu-Flores.
Unconducive policies
Most of major tourist destinations in Indonesia, especially Bali, Yogyakarta, Batam, Bandung and Jakarta, has a rather relaxed modern cosmopolitan social outlook, which is quite conducive for tourism industry. However, certain regional provinces might not have that kind of luxury, and tends to be conservative. Next to national laws, several Indonesian provinces has applied regional autonomous law, which some of them based on Islamic sharia law, such as Aceh province, and the city of Palembang. Extra caution must be demonstrated by visitors to Aceh, since the province has a rather strict Islamic-based law, enforced by Islamic religious police called Wilayatul Hisbah. Thus, some certain normally private matters, such as beach clothing (esp, bikini), modesty issue, party and the consumption of alcohol, to a display of affections between couple, are discouraged and frowned upon, and might led to a legal problem. Carefulness and discretion is highly required, especially for unmarried couple and LGBT travellers.
Another unconducive policy is the legal restriction against alcohol, pushed forward by Islamist parties and organizations in the country. As the result, the alcohol tax in Indonesia is among the highest in the world, which caused an unusually high price for alcoholic beverages. This policy is quite harmful for bar, club and restaurant industry in Indonesia. Another unconducive policy is a rather strict policy on nightlife; local authority sometimes launched a raid on clubs, karaoke and discotheque in a pretext to curb down drugs and substance abuse in these places, which might be inconvenient for visitors.
Health issues
An outbreak of bird flu throughout the country has affected the numbers of foreign visitors. As of 2006, the outbreak had killed at least 46 people since 2005, making Indonesia the country with the highest death-toll from the recent epidemic. However, since the disease has not yet been proven to mutate into a form that can transfer from human to human, the US embassy, for example, has not yet issued a travel warning regarding the outbreak.
Regional conflicts
Another major threat to the tourism industry are sectarian and separatist conflicts in Indonesia. Papua is still affected by Papuan separatism, while Maluku and Central Sulawesi have suffered in recent years from serious sectarian conflicts. Conversely, decades of separatism-related violence in Aceh ended in 2005 with the signing of a peace agreement between the Indonesia Government and the Free Aceh Movement.
Guide books
Guide books and travel accounts with details of the country and people have had a long history - some books from the 19th century and early 20th century being classics with description of places that were perceived as things to see. Both private authors and government publications (such as the 1920s Come to Java books produced in Batavia by the government tourist bureau of the time) have been made each decade through to the present. There were restrictions to tourism during World War II and the mid-to-late 1960s - other than those two periods - travel accounts and guide books have been produced regularly. James Rush's and Adrian Vickers' texts mentioned below are excellent introductions to the range of writing that has been created.
The most popular Guide book on Indonesia in English from the 1970s to the 1990s was Bill Dalton's Indonesia Handbook, while from the 1990s onward, the Lonely Planet's edition Indonesia has gone to its tenth edition in 2010. Many other guide books have also been produced in English and other languages.
Additionally, major international newspapers regularly have travel sections and stories about Indonesia. The journalists of tourism in Indonesia joined in the Indonesian Tourism Journalist Association (ITJA), Indonesian journalists active enough to write a variety of tourism information about the uniqueness found in this country.
