INDONESIA WANTS TO DOUBLE YACHT VISITS NEXT YEAR

Govt wants to double Yacht visits next year (Photo: liveyachting,.com)

Jakarta, 21 Muharram 1436/14 November 2014 (MINA) –Indonesia Tourism Minister Arief Yahya has set a target of doubling the number of yachts visiting Indonesia next year.

“Our target is to increase yacht visits to 1,500 visits in 2015,” Arief said in Jakarta on Thursday as quoted by tribunnews.com, adding that that this year, Indonesia expects to see a total of 750 yacht visits to marine destinations across the archipelago.

Arief said that an increase in visits would have a significant knock-on effect on tourist industries in areas visited by yachts, such as the culinary and hotel industries, The Jakartapost quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting on Friday.

Previously, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Soesilo told The Jakarta Post that the government would expedite permitting for yachts wanting to enter the country’s ports, from taking weeks to taking one day only, with an online one-stop service under the aegis of the Foreign Ministry.

According to Indroyono, the government also plans to lengthen yacht permits’ period of validity from six months to a whole year of multiple entries.

Arief added that the online one-stop service was expected to be ready by January.(T/P009/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)