Indonesian Tourism May be Affected

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

People wait to see a doctor on Monday (27/1/2020) at Gunung Jati Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Cirebon, West Java. The hospital has been designated a referral hospital for treating novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patients, and has prepared special isolation rooms and medical teams.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia\'s tourism industry could be affected by the coronavirus outbreak that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan because tourists from China account for the second-largest number of foreign visitors to Indonesia after Malaysia.

The impact can be felt by various sectors in the tourism industry, including in hotels and restaurants, airlines, food and beverage services and souvenir sales. As a result of the outbreak, thousands of Chinese tourists have canceled their plans to travel to Indonesia. Indonesian tourists have also cancelled their trips to China.

The chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Hariyadi B Sukamdani, said the outbreak would not only affect the arrivals of foreign tourists but could also potentially disrupt trade in goods. "The appeal given to Indonesian citizens in China to be on alert is quite right," he said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

KOMPAS/ANGGER PUTRANTO

A medical technician checks equipment on Tuesday (28/1/2020) in an isolation room at Blambangan Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Banyuwangi. RSUD Blambangan is one of 100 referral hospitals that the Health Ministry has appointed to treat novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) patients.

Center for Reform on Economics Indonesia executive director Mohammad Faisal believed that the Indonesian government must tighten control at Indonesia\'s main gateways. The Health Ministry plays an important role in the supervision.

According to Mohammad, it is time for the Indonesian government to establish a long-term strategy for the tourism industry so that it does not rely on foreign tourists from only one or two countries.

Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), 1,919 million tourists from China visited Indonesia from January to November 2019. The number accounted for 12.87 percent of the 14.91 million foreign tourists visiting Indonesia during the period.

The number of Malaysian tourists who visited Indonesia over the same period was 2,834 million, or 19.01 percent of the total foreign tourists visiting Indonesia during the period.

KOMPAS/VIDELIS JEMALI

Port Health Office medical workers use handheld non-contact thermometers to check the temperature of passengers arriving on Tuesday (28/1/2020) at Mutiara Sis Aljufri Airport in Palu, Central Sulawesi. No confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection have been found in Indonesia to date.

The impact of the cancellation of the visits of Chinese tourists to Bali was shown by the Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (Asita). Based on data from Asita’s Bali branch, about 3,400 Chinese tourists have canceled their trips to Bali. The number could increase.

"The thousands of cancellations of Chinese tourists’ visits to Bali were recorded by just 14 of Asita’s 80 members in Bali. The number of cancellations by February 2020 could increase, " the chairman of Asita’s Bali branch, I Ketut Ardana, said in Denpasar, Bali, on Monday.

In Banyuwangi, East Java, there were 12,380 Chinese tourists, or 16 percent of the 77,202 foreign tourists visiting the city, in the January to November period.

Banyuwangi Culture and Tourism Office head Yanuarto Bramuda hoped that people would not be worried about the presence of the Chinese tourists.

"The public and travel service providers should continue to be good hosts for tourists from China," he said.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A security guard checks the temperature of an incoming guest on Tuesday (28/1/2020) at a hotel in Karet Tengsin, Central Jakarta. Prevention measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been implemented at all ports of entry as well as at several hotels in the capital city.

Stopped

Some Indonesian airlines have also taken steps to counter the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. At a press conference in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Tuesday, Lion Air Group manager for Manado Irwan said direct flights from eight cities in China to Manado would be stopped from February 2020.

The decision was made following the Chinese government\'s appeal to its citizens not to travel abroad.

Irwan explained the eight cities included Guangzhou, Changsha, Nanjing, Tianjin, Fuzhou, Xi\'an and Hangzhou. "We will stop our flights until the Chinese government provides further information. Hopefully, this virus can be soon be overcome by the Chinese government," he said.

According to Irwan, flights from China to Manado in February had a 99 percent seat occupancy rate. A Boeing 737 aircraft can carry 215 people, meaning the total number of Chinese tourists who will no longer be visiting is about 11,280.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

A man walks past a large public information banner on health and hygiene displayed on Tuesday (28/1/2020) on the exterior of the Health Office in Cirebon regency, West Java.

At present, a number of Chinese tourists are still in Manado. Three groups will be flown to Tianjin, Fuzhou and Xi\'an on Wednesday, while the other two groups will fly to Changsha and Shanghai on Thursday. The last group will depart for Guangzhou on Friday.

The suspension of Lion Air flights from China to Manado will have an impact on tourism in North Sulawesi. Based on data from the BPS office in North Sulawesi, from January to November 2019, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Manado was 105,738, or nearly 90 percent of the 118,844 foreign tourists traveling to the city during the period.

The corporate secretary of PT Benda Tirta Nusantara Tbk, part of Panorama Group, AB Sadewa, said that Indonesian citizens’ trips to China in February 2020 had been cancelled.

At least 30 foreign ships visit the Sungai Sungai port per month.

In some areas, vigilance has increased. Amelia, the acting head of the Palembang port health office, said that all entrance points to South Sumatra were heavily guarded, including the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang, the Boom Baru port and the Sungai Lumpur port. At least 30 foreign ships visit the Sungai Sungai port per month. The ships that come from China and Vietnam usually carry a number of crew members. "We will inspect them," Amelia said.

Kompas/Priyombodo

A security guard mans the doors to an isolation ward on Tuesday (28/1/2020) at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital in North Jakarta. The national hospital has readied its isolation ward for admitting and treating patients with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). At least 100 hospitals in the country have been readied in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus from Wuhan, China.

The head of the Culture and Tourism Office in North Sumatra, Ria Telaumbanua, said that the supervision of foreign tourists started from their arrival at the airport. (JOL/GER/AYS/RAM/OKA/NSA/MED)