By Abu Hanifah
JAKARTA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is now using big data Mobile Positioning Data (MPD) digital system in a bid to boost up performance of the nation's core business sector, tourism.
The MPD to support the tourism activities is operated by Indonesia's central statistic agency of BPS by detecting the cellular phones used by visitors entering Indonesian territory from several gates, including from land borders with neighboring countries.
Besides in big cities' airports, the system is also applied in 19 regencies and 46 subdistricts which host Indonesia's border areas to neighboring countries as well.
The MPD digital system have been operated since October last year and is scheduled to serve until 2019.
Indonesian marketing guru from University of Indonesia (UI) Rhenald Kasali said that option to ultimately use the MDP digital system is a correct move to respond the ongoing digital lifestyle adhered by people globally with smart phone.
"The official data provided by the BPS would not only be useful in analyzing tour markets and outlining policies in the sector. The data is also essential for those indulging in tourism business to expand their businesses," Kasali said.
The tourism ministry would breaking the data down into more specific information about the visitors, including their length of stay, frequency of their visits, spending and even their tour activity preferences during their holiday in Indonesia.
Head of ASITA (Association of Indonesian Tours & Travel Agencies) Asnawi Bahar said that with processed information resulted from data, travel agents and hotels would be able to prepare resources and proper accommodations for the visitors.
"It would be very useful for us as we can digitally learn plans of the visitors' movements since their departures," Bahar said recently.
He added that most of foreign visitors have now booked their travel packages in Indonesia through digital applications in advance, including the payments, through their gadgets.
Indonesia has been taking herculean efforts to develop its tourism sector, replacing the previous oil and gas, coal and palm oil sectors.
The current government expects to see 20 million foreign visitors with earnings gained from the sector over 24 billion U.S. Dollars the the time its service term ends in 2019.
