Tourism in Indonesia

The government has given priority to 10 destinations as follows: Borobudur, Central Java; Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara; Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara; Bromo-Tengger-Semeru, East Java; Thousand Islands, Jakarta; Lake Toba, North Sumatra; Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi; Tanjung Lesung, Banten; Morotai, North Maluku; and Tanjung Kelayang, Bangka Belitung Islands.

The natural heritage can boast a unique combination of a tropical climate, a vast archipelago of 17,508 islands, 6,000 of them being inhabited,[18] the second longest shoreline in the world (54,716 km) after Canada.

[20] The beaches in Bali, diving sites in Bunaken, Mount Bromo in East Java, Lake Toba and various national parks in Sumatra are just a few examples of popular scenic destinations.

[22] The ancient Prambanan and Borobudur temples, Toraja, Yogyakarta, Minangkabau, and of course Bali, with its many Hindu festivities, are some of the popular destinations for cultural tourism.

Since 2002, warnings have been issued by some countries over terrorist threats and ethnic as well as religious conflicts in some areas, significantly reducing the number of foreign visitors for a few years.

Although his travel was a pilgrimage one; visiting temples and sacred places in Java and Bali, sometimes he behaves like a modern-day tourist, such as sitting around fanning his body while enjoying beautiful mountain scenery in Puncak area, looking at Gede volcano that he describes as the highest point around Pakuan Pajajaran (capital of Sunda kingdom).

Bali, and in particular the small village of Kuta, was, however, in the 1960s, an important stopover on the overland hippy trail between Australia and Europe, and a "secret" untouched surf spot.

From this period to the end of the Suharto era, governmental policies of the tourism industry included an array of regulations and developments to encourage increasing numbers of international tourists to both visit Indonesia and stay longer.

[49] Bunaken National Marine Park, at the northern tip of Sulawesi, claims to have seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii,[50] and has more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Western Indo-Pacific.

[51] Moreover, there are over 3,500 species [clarification needed]living in Indonesian waters, including sharks, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, morays, cuttlefish, octopus and scorpionfish, compared to 1,500 on the Great Barrier Reef and 600 in the Red Sea.

Some of the most famous diving sites in Indonesia are also the most difficult to reach, with places like Biak off the coast of Papua and the Alor Archipelago among the popular, more remote, destinations for divers.

Local enthusiasm for surfing began at Bali and West Java's Pelabuhan Ratu and Pangandaran beaches, with most surfers arriving from nearby cities of Jakarta and Bandung.

Established in 1975 by Tien Suharto, this park displaying museums, separate pavilions with the collections of Indonesian architecture, clothing, dances and traditions all depicted impeccably.

Bandung historical avenue around Asia Afrika and Braga Street displays rich collections of Indies and Art deco architecture from early 20th century.

Tourism potential may include natural points of interest, specific food, local activity, festivals, crafts, arts and cultural events that are unique to that area.

[63] Leisure and urban tourism activities include shopping, sightseeing in big cities, or enjoying modern amusement parks, nightlife and entertainment.

Certain Indonesian traditional crafts such as batik, songket, ikat weaving, embroidery, wooden statue and fashion products are popular souvenirs for visitors.

Indonesia has rich and diverse culinary traditions, and might be considered as one of the richest and the best in the world; such as rendang that recently voted as the number one dish of CNN International 'World's 50 Most Delicious Foods' list.

[74] Historically, the Taman Sari of Yogyakarta is a water castle built-in 1758 functioned as a pleasure garden for Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, his concubines and the royal family.

Bali, the tourism hotspot, has the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, which is the third busiest in Indonesia and one of the main entry points for foreign visitors.

Entering its 16th year of conduct, TIME 2009 was organised by the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) and received the support of a wide number of tour participants in Indonesia.

He was reported as describing the new branding as reflecting "the country's beautiful nature, unique culture, varied food, hospitable people and price competitiveness.

[102] However, in practice by 2017 among these 10 priorities, only 4 of them that kick-off and received full government attention and supports; they are Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Labuan Bajo as the gate into Komodo National park, and Mandalika in Lombok.

Most of the major tourist destinations in Indonesia, especially Bali, Yogyakarta, Batam, Bandung and Jakarta, have a rather relaxed modern cosmopolitan social outlook, which is quite conducive for the tourism industry.

Extra caution must be demonstrated by visitors to Aceh since the province has rather strict Islamic-based law, enforced by Islamic religious police, called the Wilayatul Hisbah in Indonesia.

[110] Thus, some certain normally private matters, such as beach clothing (esp, bikini),[111] modesty issue, party and the consumption of alcohol, to a display of affections between a couple, are discouraged and frowned upon, and might led to a legal problem.

Problems include deforestation, haze hazard caused by slash-and-burn practice that disrupts air transportation and health, also plastic garbage that pollutes marine life.

During the tropical dry season in 2015, Indonesia and its neighbours were hit by a massive haze, caused by slash and burn practice to clear the land in Sumatra and Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).

[125] In March 2018, a diver shows footage of a popular diving site polluted with floating plastic garbage in Manta Point, Nusa Penida, around 20 kilometres off the coast of Bali.

This means that plastic waste could either be local or be brought in from as far away as the Pacific Ocean; either from within Indonesia, from neighbouring Malaysia and Philippines, or from faraway Asia-Pacific regions, carried away by sea currents.