Indonesia looks to boost domestic tourism amid coronavirus outbreak

Chinese tourists wearing facemasks as a preventative measure following the coronavirus outbreak leave the fast boat pier on Serangan island in Denpasar, Bali, after visiting the island of Nusa Penida on Jan. 26. - AFP

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): Indonesia, which expects to lose an estimated US$4 mil (RM16mil) as a result of flight cancellations to and from mainland China amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, is focusing on attracting domestic tourists to popular destinations across Indonesia.

“We still need to further assess [the possible losses]. But as we know, there are 2 million Chinese tourists in the country every year, each of whom spend an average of US$1,400. It means we’ll probably lose about US$4 million, ” Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama said after a private meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, on Tuesday (Feb 4).