REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON -- Indonesia is making several efforts, including its participation in the Internationale Tourismus-B'rse Berlin (ITB Berlin), in a bid to attract 20 million foreign tourists by 2019, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya stated.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the 49th ITB Berlin being held in Berlin's Messe on March 4-8, the minister noted that Indonesia's participation in the tourism bourse is part of its efforts to promote Indonesian tourism aimed at attracting 20 million foreign tourists by 2019.

The Indonesian pavilion, among other exhibits, is showcasing a traditional boat Phinisi, one of Indonesia's cultural heritages that have been included in the Borobudur Buddhist Temple's reliefs since the 9th century.

Phinisi boat is still used by Indonesians as a means of transportation and is now on display at the ITB Berlin expo to highlight that Indonesia is the biggest island country in the world.

The minister stated that Indonesia should strive to promote its tourism, so that it can attract 20 million foreign tourists, with an annual growth of 12 percent.

"We will send a message through the expo that Indonesia is a world-class tourism destination. It is really a wonderful country," he said.

Indonesia is a great nation whose population accounts for a quarter billion and comprises 1,128 ethnic groups with over a hundred local dialects, he remarked.

Indonesia is made up of over 13 thousand islands and spans three time zones of the world.

"Even though Indonesia is blessed with rich natural resources, its real wealth lies in its people, traditions, folklores, and cultures," the minister explained.

International tourist arrivals to Indonesia remained high. Based on a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), 9,435,411 tourists visited Indonesia from January to December 2014, an increase of 7.19 percent of the total number recorded in 2013, he remarked.

Thus, in 2015, Indonesia expects to lure 12 million foreign tourists, he noted, adding that the Ministry of Tourism will focus on three main tourism products: nature, culture, and integrated tourism.

However, Arief Yahya noted in a press statement on Wednesday that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in January 2015 dropped to 723,039, down 3.99 percent from 753,079 noted in January 2014.

According to Yahya, the drop in the number of foreign tourist arrivals was due to, among other reasons, bad weather conditions that caused floods and landslides in several regions in the country.

"On January 15, heavy rains and clouds had led to the crash of AirAsia flight QZ8501, which was flying from Surabaya to Singapore in the Karimata Strait," he stated.

Besides the plane crash, the Chinese New Year, Imlek, is being celebrated in February this year rather than January, which has also led to a drop in the number of foreign tourist arrivals.

Tourist arrivals from China and Taiwan dropped by 8.74 percent and 17.44 percent, respectively.

The BPS noted that the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia declined 3.99 percent to 723 thousand in January as compared to 753,100 in the same month in 2014.

According to BPS Deputy Chief Sasmito Hadi Wibowo, Singapore emerged as the leading source of tourists for Indonesia with 105,503 visitors, followed by Australia with 91,955 tourists; Malaysia with 91,055 tourists; and China with 90,315 tourists.

Meanwhile, the occupancy rate in star-rated hotels in 27 provinces averaged 47.08 percent, up 0.10 points from 46.98 percent in January 2014.

The average length of stay was 2.12 days in January 2015, which is almost the same as January 2014.

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