June tourist arrivals up 4.1% on year

Indonesia's foreign tourist arrivals rose 4.1% in June from a year ago, data showed on Monday, Reuters reported.

"Although the global crisis has affected foreign arrivals to Indonesia, the impact hasn't been significant," said Carla Parengkuan, executive director of the Indonesian Hotels Association, adding that the impact might be felt within the next three to six months.

In June, 550,582 foreign tourists visited Indonesia, up from 529,100 a year ago, while in the first half the number rose 2.2% to 2.97 million people.

Indonesia hopes to attract 7 million tourists this year, up from 6.32 million in 2008, although this target was seen as over-optimistic by some in the industry even before the bomb attacks on two luxury hotels in Jakarta last month.

Tourism accounts for about 3% of gross domestic product in the country, but some areas, including Bali, are heavily dependent on tourism for jobs and growth.

The association and the Central Bureau of Statistics did not provide data about trip cancellations.