Didien Junaedy, Chairman of the Indonesian Tourism Industry Association (GIPI), is happy seeing the above-mentioned figures. Moreover, these figures only cover the low season and therefore growth should expand in the coming seven months as the high season kicks in.

GIPI attributes part of the success to the government's eagerness to push for the development of international airports in the regions of the massive nation. The development of these airports stimulates the arrival of new - and direct - flights between the Indonesian regions and foreign cities, hence visitor numbers can grow.

Also the recent visits of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and former US President Barack Obama to Indonesia created a "buzz" that should attract other foreigners to enjoy a holiday in, for example, Bali.

However, political turmoil in the Middle East - related to Qatar - forms a risk because it could disturb flights of Qatar Airlines to Indonesia. Passengers of Qatar Airlines not only originate from Qatar and the Middle East but also from Europe.

Read also: Overview & Analysis of Indonesia's Tourism Industry

In terms of origin, foreign visitor arrivals to Indonesia are dominated by China. However, GIPI is optimistic that other countries - for example - India form great growth centers for tourism to Indonesia. Key is accessibility and therefore it is a step in the right direction that national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia opened direct flights between Jakarta and Mumbai in late-2016.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals in Indonesia:

Month Tourist Arrivals

2014 Tourist Arrivals

2015 Tourist Arrivals

2016 Tourist Arrivals

2017 January 753,079 785,973 814,303 1,032,930 February 702,666 843,928 888,309 957,583 March 765,607 841,071 915,019 1,066,588 April 726,332 801,873 901,095 1,142,180 May 752,363 852,388 915,206 1,159,208 June 851,475 872,385 857,651 July 777,210 877,584 1,032,741 August 826,821 911,704 1,031,986 September 791,296 920,128 1,006,653 October 808,767 877,798 1,040,651 November 764,461 835,408 1,002,333 December 915,334 986,519 1,113,328 Total 9,435,411 10,406,759 11,519,275

Source: Statistics Indonesia (BPS)

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