Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya announced plans in a press conference to target 15 million tourists in 2017, a 25 per cent increase from 2016. According to data issued by the Indonesia Central Bureau of Statistics, international tourist arrivals from January through October 2016 reached 9.4 million, a growth of 9.5 per cent from the previous year.

Indonesia’s tourism sector in 2016 contributed 11 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product from total tourist spending in Indonesia and created tourism jobs for 11.8 million people.

“These significant achievements have strengthened Indonesia’s resolve to aim even higher by raising our goals and targets for 2017 to 15 million international arrivals — or a growth rate of 25 per cent, and on to 20 million arrivals in 2019,” said Yahya.

The Ministry plans to achieve these goals beginning in the first quarter with their Go Digital and Air Connectivity programmes and with the construction of 20,000 homestays in tourism villages across the archipelago.

Leading tourism destinations include Indonesia’s three main gateways of Bali, Jakarta and the Riau Islands, along with Lake Toba, Central Java and Yogyakarta, the Tanjung Lesung beach area and the Mandalika Beach area.

With several major airlines flying directly to Indonesia, such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, China Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Qantas, accessing the island destination is easier than ever.