Indonesia tourist arrivals rise 16 pct in February

JAKARTA, April 1 (Reuters) - The number of foreign tourists in Indonesia rose nearly 16 percent in February from a year ago, helped by a surge in visitors to the resort island of Bali, government data showed on Tuesday.

The predominantly Hindu island of Bali, which accounted for about 40 percent of total foreign arrivals, has seen tourist numbers rebound after a slow recovery from the impact of suicide bomb attacks by Islamic militants in 2002 and 2005.

The number of foreign tourists in Indonesia was 446,425 in February, up from 385,400 a year ago. Tourist arrivals in Bali rose 29.59 percent to 197,700 in February from a year ago.

"It's a positive start compared to last year when the industry, as in 2005-2006, was still affected by low arrivals caused by the Bali bombing," said Yessy Hidajat, a communication manager at Alila Hotels and Resort Bali.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Southeast Asia's largest economy climbed to 5.51 million in 2007 from 4.87 million in 2006, but fell short of the government's target of 6 million.

Tourism is estimated to have contributed around $5.3 billion to the economy in 2007.

Indonesia, which boasts tourist attractions ranging from rainforests to beaches, volcanoes and ancient temples, launched its campaign "Visit Indonesia Year 2008" in a bid to increase the number of foreign arrivals to 7 million this year.

The campaign has suffered some early glitches, particularly after serious flooding in Jakarta in February paralysed the capital's main airport for hours and caused chaos on the streets of Jakarta.

Hidajat said the hotel industry was fully behind the campaign to promote Indonesia, although recognised more could be done.