Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said the government plans to build 10 international yachts and cruise ship ports within the next two years in a bid to bring in 20 million foreign tourists in 2019.
Today, Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, is without a single port that specializes in accommodating international yachts or cruise ships.
"We agreed to construct the ports. We have 17,000 islands but no cruise or yacht ports at all. Where do we tell them to park then?" he said during the closing speech of the 2017 National Coordination Meeting of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on Tuesday.
Earlier, Kadin chairman Roslan Roeslani noted of the importance for the government to provide such ports for wealthy tourists.
Indonesia is aiming to bring in 15 million tourists this year and 20 million tourists in 2019. It is trying to compete with its Southeast Asian neighbors in tourism. Thailand, for example, has seen more than 30 million foreign visitors in recent years.
Besides building the ports, Indonesia launched a free-visa policy for 174 countries two years ago.
The country has recorded 9.25 million foreign visitors in January to August this year, a 26.8 percent increase year-on-year (yoy). (bbn)