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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