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Indonesia has designated five scenic places as "super priority tourist destinations" in a drive to end the reliance on the world-famous resort island of Bali. The government will invest in infrastructure in the five destinations and step up promotional campaigns for them.
It aims to give tourists more options and raise the country's tourism revenues, which have been heavily dependent on Bali, to spur economic growth.
"The government will take advantage of the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as a promotional event for Labuan Bajo, one of the super-priority tourist destinations," President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo tweeted on March 14 when he visited the scenic spot in East Nusa Tenggara province on Flores Island, east of Bali.
The port town of Labuan Bajo is known for its beautiful mountains and beaches. It also serves as the gateway to Komodo Island, where endangered Komodo dragons live. But its airport, roads and hotels are of far poorer quality than those on Bali.
Indonesia is the rotating chair of ASEAN this year, and Widodo plans to host a summit in Labuan Bajo in May. When the country held the Group of 20 presidency last year, the government wanted to host a summit there but had to give up because of security and infrastructure reasons.
Lake Toba in northern Sumatra Island is the westernmost destination among the five. It is the world's largest caldera lake, created by ancient massive volcanic eruptions. To raise its profile, the government has held meetings with foreign dignitaries there and invited an international powerboat race.
Michiyo Kasai, who works at a Japanese company in Indonesia, visited the lake on vacation in February. "It's quieter than beach resorts, and the rustic nature has a soothing effect," she said, adding that visitors can soak themselves in hot springs there.
Indonesia has failed to make full use of its vast and diverse landscapes, depending on Bali for tourism revenues. Of the 16.1 million foreign arrivals in 2019, nearly 40% were visitors to Bali. The Bali provincial government says the island accounts for 30% to 40% of the country's foreign reserves obtained through tourism.
A survey by the World Travel & Tourism Council shows that the tourism sector's contribution to Indonesia's gross domestic product was 5.6% in 2019. The figure is smaller than 20.3% for Thailand and 7% for Vietnam.
The number of foreign visitors to Indonesia in 2021 dropped by more than 90% from the peak in 2019. Some analysts argue that tourism is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels across the world. Indonesia's efforts to reduce its dependence on Bali may show whether this is true.
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