INDONESIA, whose tourism industry is an important component of its economy, has emerged as one of the best and also as one of the most cost-effective tourist destinations. With a vast archipelago of over 17,000 islands and the second longest shoreline in the world, Indonesia is the largest Islamic nation of the world where over 300 different ethnic groups and 250 distinct lingual groups live in peace.
Moreover, the healing tropical climate, lush-green nature and above all rich culture and heritage of Indonesia are major tourist attractions found nowhere in the world. In order to promote the real face of Indonesian tourism, the Jakarta government has declared the year 2008 as “The Visit Indonesia Year.” On this occasion, international tourist campaigns mainly focusing on tropical destination with white sand beaches and blue sky imageries have been launched.
Beach resorts and hotels have been developed in some Indonesia islands, with Bali island as the primary destination. Cultural tourism has become an important part of the Indonesian tourism industry this year. Toraja, Prambanan and Borobudur monuments, Yogyakarta and Minangkabau are popular destinations for cultural tourism. About five to 10 million foreign tourists visit Indonesia annually. As far as nature tourism is concerned, Indonesia has a well-preserved natural ecosystem, which includes rainforests, which stretch over about 57 percent of Indonesia’s land (225 million acres). About two percent of these are mangrove. The natural ecosystem in Indonesia is still well-preserved, as only 6,000 islands out of 17,000 are permanently inhabited. Forests on Sumatra and Java are examples of popular tourists destinations. Moreover, Indonesia has one of the longest coastlines in the world with a number of beaches and island resorts such as those in southern Bali, Lombok, Bintan and Nias Island.
Many of the well-preserved beaches are those in more isolated areas such as Karimunjawa, the Togian Islands and the Banda Islands. With more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia also presents ample diving opportunities.
Bunaken at the northern tip of Sulawesi claims to have seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii and more than 70 percent of all known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific. There are also over 3,500 species 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.
Then there are surf breaks. Surfing is a popular water activity in Indonesia and the sites are recognized as world class. The well-known spots are mostly located on the southern, Indian Ocean side of Indonesia and include, for example, large oceanic surf breaks on southern Java. However, the north coast does not receive the same surf from the Java Sea.
Surf breaks can be found all the way along Sumatra down to Nusa Tenggara, including Aceh, Bali, Banten, Java, Lombok, Mentawai Islands and Sumbawa.
There are about 33 surf spots on Bali — from West Bali to East Bali. Sumatra is the second island with the most number of surf spots, with 18 spots. The common time for surfing is around May to November with the trade winds blowing from east to southeast.
Another attraction is Indonesia’s diverse national parks. The biggest national park in Indonesia is the 9,500 sq. kms. Gunung Leuser National Park in the north of Sumatra island.
