Jakarta – The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia in 2002 is estimated at only 20 percent of its target figure of 4.3 million to 5.4 million, the country's top tourism official said.

"The number of foreign tourist arrivals in 2002 will be the lowest since the economic crisis hit our tourist industry in 1998," Minister of Culture and Tourism I Gede Ardhika said in a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission VI on tourist, postal and telecommunication affairs.

In 1998, Indonesia was visited by as many as 4,606,416 foreign tourists. Ardhika said the October 12 Bali bombing tragedy was the main cause of the drastic decline in foreign tourist arrivals. After the devastating bomb blasts in Bali, hotel occupancy rates dropped, international events were cancelled and foreign travel operators unilaterally aborted travel programs, he said.

With the 80 percent shortfall in the number of expected tourist arrivals, Indonesia's tourism industry would suffer a negative growth of 16.56 percent in 2002, the minister said.