Kemenparekraf Optimistic Wisman Visit Reaches 10 Million By The End Of 2023, Here's The Reason

Foreign tourists illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) is optimistic that foreign tourist visits or foreign tourists can reach 10 million by the end of 2023. This is because, until September 2023, 8.5 million foreign tourists have been visited.

"In total, (the number of foreign tourist visits) from January to September 2023 has reached 8,513,505, if we have minimalist principles, the 2023 target has been achieved. However, we are still fighting so that this must exceed the target," said Deputy for Tourism Products and Activities at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Vinsensius Jemadu in the Weekly Brief with Sandi Uno monitored online in Jakarta, Monday, November 6.

Vinsen explained that there are five countries of origin for the most foreign tourists. First, Malaysia with a visit to 152,210 visits. Second, Australia with 140,057 visits. Third, Singapore with 114,713 visits. Fourth, China with 8,875 visits. Fifth or lastly there is Timor Leste as many as 57,569 visits.

This foreign tourist visit, said Vinsen, came mostly from the doors of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport and Soekarno Hatta Airport.

"This visit is mainly from our main door at I Gusti Ngurah Rai, which Soekarno Hatta continues to follow. Of course, it is also at other international airports, but the two main doors are the biggest," he said.

As previously reported, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that in September 2023 foreign tourist visits in Indonesia reached 1.07 million visits, down 5.51 percent compared to August 2023 which amounted to 1.13 million.

However, it has increased by 52.76 percent on an annual basis or year on year (yoy).

Deputy for Distribution and Services Pudji Ismartini said this decline was due to the end of the holiday period so that the number of visits also decreased.

"The monthly decline was due to a decline in foreign tourists from Malaysia. In addition, because the summer holiday period in European countries has ended," he said at the BPS Release event, Wednesday, November 1.

According to Pudji, historically the decline in foreign tourists will continue until November 2023. However, it will rise again during the Christmas and New Year holidays.