Over 35 Pct of Indonesia's Tourist Arrivals from ASEAN Countries

Tourists watch Balinese dancers perform during the opening of a carnival on Indonesias resort island of Bali February 19, 2009. Indonesias Constitutional Court on March 25, 2010, threw out an appeal of a controversial anti-porn law, in a blow to some secular parties, minorities and artists who had said it threatened freedom of expression.

Indonesia received 210,372 tourists from other ASEAN member states in March, accounting for 35.17 percent of the overall tourist arrivals in the country in that month.
"In March 2011, ASEAN tourists, for instance, from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand reached 210,372," Deputy Director of ASEAN Region at the Culture and Tourism Ministry Chrismiastutie said here on Monday.
She said 598,068 tourists visited Indonesia in March. Cumulatively, the number of tourists from other ASEAN member states reached 556,336 in the first quarter of 2011.
The figure represented 32.44 percent of the overall tourist arrivals over the period reaching 1,714,946, according to the center of data processing and network system at the ministry.
"We predict the figure will increase significantly in line with the position of Indonesia as the 2011 ASEAN chair," she said. In the first quarter of 2011, tourists from other ASEAN member states dominated tourist arrivals in Indonesia.
"Throughout this year there will be many MICE (Meeting Incentive Conference and Exhibition) events to be held in Indonesia as the ASEAN chair," she said.
Singapore took the lead as the source of Indonesia’s tourist arrivals among ASEAN member states in the January-March 2011 period, with 271,523 tourists, up 7.92 percent from the same period last year.
This was followed by Malaysia with 239,663 tourists, the Philippines 28,400, and Thailand 16,750. Overall, tourist arrivals in the country grew 6.44 percent in the first three months of 2011 compared with the same period last year.

Visitors to Borobudur Temple Not Deterred by Whirlwind

A whirlwind that hit Borobudur Temple in Magelang district, Central Java, on Saturday, did not discourage foreign and local tourists.
"The whirlwind has not stopped the activities of local residents and foreign tourists here," Head of Borobudur Temple’s tourism division Pujo Suwarno said here Sunday.
The whirlwind struck the area following heavy rainfall. There were no fatalities in the disaster though several thousands of visitors were visiting the temple on Saturday, he said.
The number of visitors was high enough in the aftermath of Mount Merapi’s cold lava floods that had repeatedly paralyzed roads between Yogyakarta and Magelang, he said. Despite the absence of human casualties, the whirlwind damaged a number of advertisement boards and a shop’s roof.
Over the past year, various parts of Indonesia have been hit by extremely bad weather, coupled with heavy rains and whirlwinds. On December 29, 2010, a whirlwind also hit Kancilan village, Kembang subdistrict, Jepara district, Central Java, causing damage to 49 houses and six stores.
The whirlwind also damaged a school building and a church, but there were no reports on fatalities, Head of the Kembang social welfare agency Nuri Wahyudi, said. On December 24, 2010, a whirlwind also struck Karangaji village in Kembang subdistrict, damaging 90 houses and a school building.
On December 26, 2010, a whirlwind hit Srobyong and Karanggandong villages in Kembang subdistrict. A total of 114 houses in the two villages were badly damaged.
Then on January 16, a whirlwind destroyed two houses and damaged 18 others in Cinta Puri village, Simpang Empat subdistrict, Banjar district, South Kalimantan.
On January 23, a whirlwind also damaged five houses and toppled tens of trees in Menthuk village, Mojosongo subdistrict, Boyolali district, Central Java. On February 19, a whirlwind also hit three villages in Trenggalek and Pacitan districts, East Java, damaging tens of houses and toppling a number of trees.

Number of Chineses to Bali Brushes Asides Number of Japaneses

China, brushing aside Japan, is now ranking second of the ten countries with the highest number of tourists to Bali.
"Japan which was second after Australia, is now third after China," head of the Bali center of statistics Ir Gede Suarsa said here.
A umber of 17,103 Chinese enjoyed the uniqueness of the natural beauty of the island paradise on January 2011, an increase of 53.99 percent to only 11,206 in December 2010. In 2010 the number of Chinese tourists coming to Bali dropped 4.48 percent compared to last years’ 1,206.151.
Most of them arrived by plane at Ngurah Rai straight from China, and only four arrived by yacht. Besides China also Australia was also top with 32.33 pct of the 44,412 increased to 58.770 people, Rusia 26.,03 pct from 124 pct to 11,499, and South Korea 1.82 pct from 10.252 to 0,439. Likewise Malaysians increased 39.95 pct from 7,336 to 10,267 , Singaporeans 121,43 pct from 3,113 to 6,893 and Americans 28.57 pct from 4,504 to 5,791.