Tourists as Immigration’s Customer

One of the leaders of the Immigration headquarters (in the photo, far left), revealed in a meeting, that his office’s each year have been capable only to add about 50 new immigration officers. That was for the whole of Indonesia. So shortages in services have occurred compared to the high growth of needed services. There are now 27 international airports in Indonesia, not to mention sea ports that require immigration officers as well. In fact, first impressions stick in mind, is also applicable in tourism. Impression at the time of first arrival at airport will always affect dominantly further perception.

Then, you must still remember the letter of the Governor of Bali that “furious” about bad service at the airport in Denpasar? It turned out later, DG Marketing Tourism Sapta Nirwandar (in photo, center) was entrusted to chair a full meeting of all ranks in the airport Ngurah Rai Denpasar to make a follow-up to the letter the governor. So, the session was led neutrally.

In another meeting occasion in Jakarta, I myself reveals one comparison, in Thailand and the Philippines where the immigration applied some tactical policies to “show support from immigration in
tourism. ” In Thailand, for example, during a political crisis that impacted the interest of foreign tourists to visit, the immigration stimulate foreign tourists by allowing them out of the airport for half-day tour, for the passengers on transit. Philippine immigration office give free visas for citizens from China, who posses a visitor’s visa to the U.S. and Japan, and for the citizens of China who proves its business activities in the Philippines would employ more than 10 workers.

Thus, the marketing expert Hermawan Kertajaya (in photo, right) subsequently concluded, the immigration agency in this world of competition need to treat tourists as a “customer”.===