REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesia ranked 70th in global tourism competitiveness by the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2013, or rose from 74th in 2011. However, Indonesia is still ranked behind neighboring countries, Singapore (10), Malaysia (34) and Thailand (43) for their excellence in terms of infrastructures.
Indonesia managed to reach 8.8 million foreign tourists or 9.42 percent growth. It contributed 10.05 billion USD to foreign exchange, rose 10.23 percent compared to 2012. About 248 million local tourists also contributed to national revenue worth 154.7 trillion IDR.
"Tourism sector recorded revenue of 347.35 trillion IDR or 3.8 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP)," Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu said on Monday.
Indonesian tourism also employed 10.18 million people or increased 8.89 percent of total national workforce.