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THE tourist industry in Indonesia has seen spectacular growth this year.

  Total earnings from tourism in 1992 were nearly US$3.3 million, up by 30 per cent on 1991 and an increase on the annual rise over the last eight years.

  This is good news for a country which is following a deliberate policy to encourage tourism as its number one industry. It currently stands fourth behind oil, gas and plywood.

  Visitors to the archipelago last year exceeded the three million target, with a rise of more than 30 per cent in people coming from Hong Kong.

  Growing links between the two countries are reflected in national airline Garuda's plan to add three more weekly flights on its Hong Kong-Indonesia route from November, bringing the total number of weekly flights to 15.

  ''Indonesia is becoming one of the most famous destinations in Southeast Asia because its culture and scenery are unsurpassed.

  ''The people are so friendly, the political situation is stable and the government is very careful about drugs and disease,'' said Mahmud Ibrahim, the general manager of Garuda Indonesia in Hong Kong.

  Now that visa requirements had slackened, the flow of people to Indonesia had rocketed, he said.

  This year, tourist organisations are making special efforts to encourage people to look beyond Bali for their holiday, in a country which, in fact, covers over 5,000 km in a trail of 13,700 tropical islands - from sun-drenched plains and volcanoes to green paddy fields and rain forests.

  For Hong Kong residents, the ideal place to visit was Indonesia's northernmost gateway, north Sulawesi, said Mr Ibrahim.

 It is a scuba diver's paradise, its coral reefs rating among the best in the world.

  It is also well known for its prehistoric sites which form part of a vibrant culture centred on music and dance.

  Manado, the area's capital, is only two-and-a-half hours' flying time from Hong Kong and, by next year, Garuda plans to have a direct flight.

  Further south is Toraja, Indonesia's fastest growing tourist spot.

  This year, the Indonesian Consulate and Garuda have flown travel agents from Hong Kong to Ujung Pandang, the regional capital, in a further bid to show tourists that the glories of Indonesia can lie beyond Bali.

  One of south Sulawesi's big attractions is rafting down the Sa'dan River. The one-to three-day treks take the explorer through dense forests of monkeys, eagles and wild boar.

  The mountainous island of Lombok could be singled out as the third major tourist destination in the ''beyond Bali'' campaign, Mr Ibrahim said.

  For the Indonesian Chinese population, Mount Kawi, near Malang in East Java, is traditionally a place of homage.

  More than 90 per cent of the steady stream of pilgrims are Chinese, the focus of their attention being the graves of two 19th century heroes who died at the hands of Dutch colonisers.

 The Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong last month began its Mount Kawi promotion with an invitation to Chinese journalists to visit the area.

  Despite an active campaign to spread the focus of tourist attention throughout Indonesia, the capital, Jakarta, continues to generate 70 per cent of the nation's wealth.

  With the opening of three five-star hotels before the end of this year, Jakarta will have over 7,500 deluxe hotel rooms.

  And there is a strong demand for them following last year's opening of the region's largest exhibition centre, the US$220 million Jakarta Fairgrounds Kemayoran which now puts Jakarta firmly on the international trade fair and exhibition map.

  The multi-million-dollar International Convention Centre also opened a year ago.

  This soaring international attention is one reason why Garuda this year has taken a $650-million loan to buy nine new aircraft.

  Despite record rises in tourism, the Indonesia Tourism Promotion Board (ITPB) has no intention of sitting back and relaxing.

  Following the 1992 Year of Tourism, the ITPB has coined the phrase Visit Indonesia Decade. By the year 2000, visitor numbers are targeted to hit 10 million.

  The country's 50th anniversary of independence will be celebrated in style in 1995 and will be used as another marketing tool to attract tourists.

  To keep the tourism counters ringing loudly, the ITPB has given a theme to each year for the rest of the century: 1993 is Environment and Heritage Year.



Tourism rides on crest of big growth