REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has set a target of US$12.05 billion foreign exchange earnings from tourism by the end of 2015.

"We have targeted foreign exchange earnings worth US$12.05 billion from 10 million tourists expected to visit this country until late this year," Minister Arief Yahya said here Wednesday.

The performance of our tourism industry in 2014 had been quite good. Therefore, we are targeting 7-8 percent growth, or 10 million tourist arrivals, in 2015, the minister remarked.

He has also set the domestic tourist target at 254 million trips, with spending amounting to Rp201.5 trillion.

The tourism industry is also expected to absorb 11.3 million workers directly or indirectly, he added.

The minister told the press that last year, the tourism industry contributed 3.78 percent (the target was 4.25 percent) to the national economy, with foreign exchange earnings amounting to US$10.69 billion.

Last year, the government targeted to earn US$12 billion from the tourism industry. Some 11.21 million people (the target was to employ 8.74 million people) were directly or indirectly working in the industry, he pointed out.

Last year, 9.3 million foreign tourists were received while the number of domestic tourists was 251 million.

"The achievement in 2014 has become the foundation for doubling our tourism target by 2019," Arief Yahya observed.

By 2019, Indonesia targets to see 20 million foreign tourists, 275 domestic tourist trips, 13 million job opportunities, and foreign exchange earnings reaching Rp240 trillion.

Beginning 2015, the government established a free visa policy for short visits by Australians, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and Russians.

The government has also eased permit procedures for international yachters in order to boost the country's marine tourism industry.

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