Tourism has become an important sector that has an impact on development of country economy. The main benefits of tourism are income creation and generation of jobs. For many regions and countries it is the most important source of welfare. The ability of the national economy to benefit from tourism depends on the availability of investment to develop the necessary infrastructure and on its ability to supply the needs of tourists. Indonesia has a touristic potential for development of seaside tourism and other alternative forms of tourism. Also with a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, the second longest shoreline in the world, 300 different ethnic groups and 250 distinct languages, and tropical climate throughout the year, nature and culture are two major components of Indonesian tourism.
Indonesia’s position is between Asia and Australia and this country is as wide as the European continent. The sea, with the major islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua, occupies fourth-fifths of the area. Even Papua and Kalimantan rank as the second and third largest island in the world after Greenland. This country is the world’s 14th largest nation with cultural and nature diversity.
Tourism in Indonesia is currently overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. International tourist campaigns have been focusing largely on tropical destination with white sand beaches and blue sky imagery. Beach resorts and hotels were developed in some Indonesia islands, with Bali island as the primary destination. Cultural tourism is also an important part of Indonesia tourism industry. Toraja, Prambanan and Borobudur temples, Yogyakarta and Minangkabau are popular destinations for cultural tourism, apart from many Hindu festivities in Bali. About 5 million foreign tourists have visited Indonesia annually since 2000.
Until now, Indonesia has still faced to draw any significant economic benefit from is tourism development. Although since the last 3 decades Indonesia has nationally targeted tourism as a source of foreign exchange after oil, textile and wood, but still far from the aspired target. A relatively spectacular achievement of foreign exchange from tourism sector in 90’s (almost US$ 4000 millions) had to drop again due to the economic and political crisis hitting Indonesia. It can be conclude that the economic benefit of tourism in Indonesia is still relatively low considering the amount and variety of tourism resources the country has to offer.
The Indonesian government believes those natural and cultural are the potential tourism assets that could bring benefits to the local people and the country, if the proper roles of government prepare designated regions for tourists by good planning, minimizing the harmful influences of tourists and protecting the local culture and way-of-life. This has been adopted as the template for tourism planning and development throughout the country, which consist of around 400 autonomous regencies that want to gain economic benefit from tourism sector. Furthermore the national government realized both the potential and pitfalls of tourism as an engine of economic and social development for Indonesia. To avoid the negative effects of unregulated and uncontrolled growth, a national master plan for sustainable tourism development for the entire country was mapped out, supported by international agencies such as UNDF UNESCO, WTO, and ILO working closely with the appropriate government departments. Moreover, provincial master plans for tourism development that assess tourism’s social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts in detail and guide its growth also have been produced for selected provinces.
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https://ideas.repec.org/a/cbu/jrnlec/y2009v1p83-90.html
http://antaranda.com/page.php?page_id=13
http://www.academia.edu/5394651/SUSTAINABLE_TOURISM_DEVELOPMENT_IN_INDONESIA
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