Lombok, Indonesia
Apparently the Indonesian ministry of tourism is not at all pleased that the beaches of Bali continue to be thronged by a bunch of hedonistic young people from a few foreign countries, and mainly Australia, on a gap year from university, who do not even know that Bali is in Indonesia, all the while paying little attention, if any at all, to the other touristic parts of Indonesia.
To correct this anomaly the tourism ministry has now turned its focus on African countries such as Namibia in Southern Africa and Kenya in East Africa, and the Middle East, Mauritius, Russia and the Danish market, to boost tourism figures to this vast collection of islands called Indonesia.
“We want to make other destinations in Indonesia famous too. They hardly look like Bali and we have to differentiate that there are other touristic destinations, besides Bali,” Ida Fahmiwati, who is the deputy director for printed media in the ministry of tourism, told New Era in an exclusive interview.
Bali cannot define Indonesia on tourism, a point that Indonesian tourism officials, marketing executives and the tour guides keep repeating in every other sentence. And it is not the beaches Indonesia is marketing, for the tourism ministry thinks its cultural tourism aspects have for too long been neglected.
As part of the marketing strategy the Indonesian ministry has roped in a multinational advertising and marketing chain franchise, a result of which is a selection of seasoned writers and journalists from Russia, Dubai, Kenya, Amsterdam, Mauritius and Namibia to visit several islands – including some sleepy hideouts within those islands – from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, and of course Bali, but on the side that again is often not visited, just to drive the point home.
“Last year we had 9.5 million tourists coming to our country. The ministry of tourism has a target to attract 20 million tourists in the next five years and [current] figures of tourists from Africa and [continental] Europe are not that high. So we made this marketing event for Europe, the Middle East and Africa to attract them [tourists from those regions] to Indonesia,” said Fahmiwati who had led an excursion on the island of Lombok.
The question is however whether people would come. To encourage the visitors, the tourism ministry has relaxed or waived visa requirements for 45 countries.
“This is something we continue to consider as we truly understand the importance of reciprocity and benefits. We also believe the tourists will be attracted to the affordable luxury that Indonesia has to offer,” says Noviendi Makalam, the director of international marketing in the ministry of tourism. Namibia is not among the countries given free visa status, but Angola is, so is Tanzania and South Africa.
Fahmiwati would not comment on whether the waiving or relaxation of visa requirements would translate into a firm government-to-government agreement with Namibia, saying that function falls within a different directorate in the ministry, and would have to be followed up for an official response.
What is important though for the Indonesian government still marred by the terrorism attacks of a couple of years ago at Bali, is that safety at touristic destinations has been improved. The government even has tourist police, a regular uniformed contingent draped in dark brown trousers and mid-brown shirts with burgundy stripes.
“Terrorism attacks in any country are equally devastating and concerning. These attacks are always a consideration for potential tourists when they visit a country. However, I believe Indonesia has continued to improve its safety and security so that it does not deter tourists from coming and these efforts would continue,” says Makalam.
Currently, tourism on other islands such as Lombok is driven by domestic tourism, with Indonesians from the islands of Java and Jakarta, on their off-days, flocking to islands such as Lombok in bus loads to experience the culture and traditions of the Sasak people.
The villagers put up traditional performances, sell a few merchandise, and gain from whatever donation they collect on the day. Hence, the tourism ministry has upped its game to convince foreign tourists to spend a few days deep in the villages, monuments of cultural importance, instead of crowding the beaches of Bali non-end every other holiday.