Asia Pacifi c & Indian Ocean
Bouncing back T
South-east Asia has had its fair share of setbacks this year, but it’s remaining resilient, explains Peter Ellegard
he island nations of south- east Asia have had mixed fortunes for tourism in recent times.
Northern areas of Indonesia’s Lombok island suffered catastrophic devastation from powerful earthquakes in July and August, and flights to some airports were disrupted by eruptions of Bali’s Mount Agung in late-2017 and mid-2018.
The Philippines’ top tourism destination, Boracay, was closed to visitors for six months at the end of April, and while tourist numbers grew in other countries, Malaysia saw international arrivals fall in 2017. Terrorism fears, crime and civil unrest in some areas of the region have also led governments of some source markets to issue travel warnings for their citizens. But overall things are looking rosy for south-east Asia – the World Travel & Tourism Council forecasts the region to rank third for growth in 2018 – and for its southern nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei. This is how things are shaping up for each country.
Indonesia (AS1100) Hotels were among the many in Lombok’s north and north-west damaged by the devastating earthquakes. After a three-week emergency period, West Nusa Tenggara’s governor decreed a six-month phase of recovery and reconstruction until February 26, 2019. Other parts of the island are unaffected.
Indonesia’s minister of tourism Arief Yahya states: “Following August’s earthquakes, both Bali and Lombok airports remained operational and we continue to welcome travellers to our beautiful archipelago.”
The country’s tourism industry has grown rapidly in recent years. It welcomed 14 million visitors in 2017, up from 12 million in 2016 and double the 2010 total, China being
62 06.11.2018 Tanah Lot Hindu temple, Bali
the powerhouse market – almost quadrupling its visitor numbers to two million over the same period. Indonesia is targeting 20 million foreign tourists in 2019. To try to achieve its target, it is focusing on three main approaches: a digital marketing strategy, building 1,000 homestays to help accelerate destination readiness and improving air connectivity through collaborations with regional and international airlines.
Among hotel developments, Komodo’s first five-star resort – the Ayana Komodo Resort, Waecicu Beach – opened in September and the luxury, 328-room New World Grand Bali Resort opens in 2019. Cathay Dragon, part of Cathay Pacific, introduced flights between Hong Kong and Medan in October. Euromonitor International forecasts travel to Indonesia will see strong growth, backed by increased budgets and investment, with source markets Singapore, China, Malaysia, Australia and Japan being targeted for increased tourism arrivals.
Ubud Monkey Forest, a haven for Balinese long-tailed monkeys
Indonesia’s Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist temple
The Philippines (AS1000) Receiving one million foreign tourists out of the country’s total 6.6 million arrivals in 2017, Boracay’s six-month closure in late April for an environmental reboot to tackle pollution problems and to widen traffic-choked roads was
Lake Toba, Indonesia
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