JAKARTA – Following a record-breaking year for tourist arrivals in 2008, Indonesia is keeping an optimistic outlook for tourism in 2009.

    New flight connections like Garuda Indonesia’s Singapore-Yogyakarta service will provide visitors direct access to the world heritage destination; an increase in AirAsia budget flights from Singapore and KL to many secondary destinations in Indonesia; and newly-opened luxury boutique hotels and resorts in Bali and Java are all making tourism officials optimistic about 2009 arrivals despite the downturn in the global economy. The island of Sumatra in western Indonesia is establishing strong regional air connections with its neighbours in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. There are also nine Garuda Indonesia daily flights making the two-hour direct flights from Jakarta to Medan. Medan is also aggressively promoting its reputation as a business destination to increase MICE arrivals with two new five-star hotels – JW Marriott and Grand Swiss Belhotel – opening this year. This will result in a capacity of 1,410 rooms in five-stars hotels and 1,702 rooms in four-star hotels in the capital of North Sumatra.

    “We are realistically predicting single-digit growth in 2009 because of our wide mix of destinations and products, and the attractive relation of cost to service, all putting it on the winner’s side in the South-east Asian market,” Dr. Sapta Nirwanda, deputy minister of marketing of Indonesia’s culture and tourism ministry, said.