In 2006 some 1.92 million Indonesia visited Singapore, constituting 20% of total arrivals to the island republic that reached a total of 9.7 million visitors, said Chooi Yee Choong, Regional Director ASEAN of the Singapore Tourism Board in Jakarta recently.
Total spending of all tourists to Singapore came to S$ 12.4 billion or US$ 8.1 billion (at an exchange rate of US$1 = S$ 1.53), reported Media Indonesia on line. When Indonesians spent an estimated total 20% of total tourist spent here, this would amount to some US$ 1.62 billion spent by Indonesians in Singapore.

For the Great Singapore Sale which is held during 25 May – 22 July, Singapore targets the visit of an additional 3% - 4% of Indonesian shopaholics compared to 2006. During the same period last year, more than 360,000 Indonesians visited Singapore, said Chooi Yee Choong.  

Conversely, according to statistics issued by the Department of Tourism, the number of Singaporeans visiting Indonesia in 2005 constituted 28.34% of total arrivals of 5 million, making up a total of 1.417 million Singaporeans to Indonesia that year. This number is down from 1.6 million Singapore arrivals in 2004. In 2005 Singaporeans spent an average of US$ 507.78 per visit, contributing a total income of US$ 689.73 to Indonesia’s tourism receipts.  
 
To improve receipts from Tourism, the government is boosting domestic tourism, targeting a total of 218 million this year, with total spending of Rp. 79.8 trillion, up from 216.5 million in 2006, with total spending of Rp. 78.6 trillion. “We urge Indonesians to spend their holidays in Indonesia’s many and attractive tourist destinations rather than holidaying overseas” said Thamrin Bachri, Director General for Marketing of the Department for Culture and Tourism in Makasar recently, as reported by Bisnis Indonesia.  Thamrin, however, conceded that Indonesia’s destinations still needed many improvements to attract our own domestic tourists to holiday at home.