Fadli, Batam – The number of foreign tourists visiting Batam city last year fell short of expectations with only 1,005,000 vacationing in the city between January and December last year, far below the government target of 1.5 million.

"The number of tourists was less than expected for various reasons, including bombings in the country, the closure of gambling dens and the rise in oil prices," said chief of Batam tourism office Arifin Nasir on Saturday.

While in year 2004, 1,527,00 tourists visited Batam city, in 2005, the number dropped to 1,005,000. "The main reason was the closure of the gambling dens," Arifin added.

The police had clamped down on gambling dens since Gen. Soetanto took the reigns of the Indonesian police in July last year. The closures had discouraged tourists from Singapore and Malaysia from visiting Batam to gamble, thus reducing the number of tourists coming to town.

Almost 70 percent of tourists came from Malaysia and Singapore, said Arifin. While reviving gambling dens was not possible, the Batam government was now trying to promote Batam culture to an international public in order to draw more tourists to visit the city, said Arifin.

Meanwhile, the slump in tourism has affected hotels in Batam. Anas, an executive with the Batam Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), said some hotels had already laid off employees as hotel occupancy was down last year. "However, it would be improper to name the hotels," said Anas, who is also a shareholder in the Novotel Hotel in Batam.

Anas said he had warned the Batam government several times that the government should not rely on gambling and prostitution to attract foreign tourists, but the warning fell on deaf ears. The government should start thinking of other means to draw tourists to Batam, he said.