INDONESIA'S INDIRECT ENGAGEMENT TOWARDS AUSTRALIA AFTER THE BALI NINE CASE : THE EFFORTS TO INCREASE AUSTRALIAN TOURISTS TO INDONESIA (2015-2016)

Abstract

Title: Indirect Engagement Towards Australia After The Bali Nine Case : The Efforts to Increase Australian Tourists to Indonesia (2015-2016) The bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Australia is one of the most important cooperation in the history of international cooperation in the world. In 2015, this bilateral cooperation was restrained because of the execution of two Australians that were included in Bali Nine case, Chan and Sukumaran, by Indonesian law. Australia, both the government and the citizens, showing a strong opposing reaction towards this act by Indonesia by withdrawing their ambassador and boycotting one of holiday destinations of Indonesia, which is Bali. Whereas, Australian tourists are one of the majority tourists that come to Indonesia, especially Bali. In result, in that year, the number of Australian tourists coming to Indonesia got decreased slightly. Tourism sector is one of the important sector that is being the primary focus of Indonesian economy enhancement under the presidency of Joko Widodo. Therefore, in order to revive the number of Australian tourists, Indonesia engaged to Australia to re-attract and re-build the trust of Australia. This research has found that the engagement of Indonesia towards Australia through sport tourism, cooperation between sister cities, cultural festival, trade mission and trade fair, free visa-entry, and awareness distribution regarding other holiday destinations beside Bali has proven to attract the Australian tourists to go to Indonesia. In result, Australian tourists coming to Indonesia got increased in the following year after the case.