"For the development of Indonesia`s tourism sector in the future, we have targeted the number of tourists visiting the country to reach 20 million, of which 10 million tourists would come from China," Luhut stated.Ambon (ANTARA News) - The government has targeted the revenue from the tourism sector to reach US$20 billion by 2019, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said here on Thursday.
"For the development of Indonesias tourism sector in the future, we have targeted the number of tourists visiting the country to reach 20 million, of which 10 million tourists would come from China," Luhut stated.
Chinese tourists on an average spent $2,385 on each trip, higher than Americans, he said.
The minister noted that Indonesia has a huge potential in tourism sector, including Maluku province with its remarkable underwater views, coral reefs and ornamental fish, as well as cultural and historical sites.
However, such potential would require adequate development in infrastructure and human resources.
Luhut remarked that the central and regional administrations should have an integrated development program.
"We have developed the Patimban port in West Java worth $3 billion, and it would be functional by the third quarter of this year in cooperation with Japan. It is expected to have significant economic impact on Indonesia," he continued.
The government has prepared Rp387 trillion of fund for infrastructure development in five years, higher than the previous budget of Rp152 trillion.
"I have received a report from Waskita Karya that by 2019, it will finish more than 1.4 thousand kilometers of toll road," he asserted.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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