INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - The government agreed to provide discounts on cruise ship tariff (cruise) up to 50 percent in order to encourage tourists visiting tourist boat numbers.

"There is a letter from the Ministry of Transportation that we can give discounts up to 50 percent," said Tourism Minister Arief Yahya at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Tuesday (1/8/2017)

Arief said that the price of cruise ships in Indonesia reached 40 thousand-50 thousand US dollars or two times the rate in Singapore and Malaysia. With such an expensive rate, Indonesia is unable to compete with competitors of neighboring countries who receive more tourist visits.

"Now about 20 thousand US dollars if there is a 'cruise' that leans in Indonesia to once docked," he said.

Arief hopes that the decrease in the tariff will boost the number of tourist arrivals from the current 200 thousand people to 400 thousand people next year.

The target is pegged because the potential of cruise ship tourism to Indonesia is expected to attract three million people.

"Mr. Indroyono (Advisor to the Ministry of Tourism) and like I mentioned earlier (the target) could double the next year, so 400 thousand tourists," he said.

With a target of up to 400 thousand people, the potential of total foreign exchange to be boosted to reach 480 million US dollars (equivalent to Rp6, 4 trillion).

Arief added that the discount rate will apply to all ports in the working area of ​​Pelindo I, Pelindo II, Pelindo III and Pelindo IV.

It turns out that Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for the Ministry of Marine Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has ordered that all service costs that are higher than competitor countries should be cut.

"I order all cost 'cost services' that are expensive, which is double from other areas like Singapore, we ask for cut and it can," he said.

The government provides discounted port charges for cruises and yachts summarized in discount reduction letters for seaport services for Yacht ships, Super Yacht Ships and Cruise Ships No: PP 002/5/14 / DJPL-17 on May 24, 2017 addressed to the President Director of PT. Pelabuhan Indonesia I s.d IV (Persero).

The grant is in accordance with Ministerial Regulation (PM) no. 6 of 2013 on Types, Structures, and Tariffs of Port Services Tariff.