Indonesia may fall short of foreign tourist target in 2019

Tanah Lot in Bali is considered as one of the most popular destinations in Indonesia. (Photo: Jakarta Post)

The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia in 2019 may fall short of the government’s target of 18 million after attracting only 13.62 million in January - October.

In July, the Tourism Ministry revised the target for foreign arrivals from 20 million to 18 million.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of foreign tourists to Indonesia in the ten-month period inched up 2.85 percent from the same period last year.

In October alone, Indonesia welcomed 1.35 million foreigners, up 4.86 percent year on year but down 3.28 percent compared to September. Malaysia was the largest source of tourists with 2.58 million visitors (accounting for 18.94 percent), followed by China (13.01 percent), Singapore (11.38 percent), Australia (8.42 percent), and Timor Leste (7.48 percent).

A shortage of large-scale international events together with the global economic downturn have been blamed for the slow growth in the number of foreign arrivals to the Southeast Asian country./.

VNA