JEDDAH: Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry has teamed up with its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia to promote the Southeast Asian country as a top international holiday destination.
A festival has been organized that highlights tourism, culture, fashion and cuisine. It ended on Nov. 19 in Jeddah, and is scheduled for Nov. 21-23 in Riyadh.
The aim is to increase the number of Saudi tourists to 200,000 as part of a global visitor target of 20 million.
In 2018, more than 165,000 Saudis visited the Southeast Asian country, said R. Sigit Witjaksono, assistant deputy for regional marketing development in Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry.
The Jeddah event was inaugurated by Indonesian Consul General Dr. Mohamad Hery Saripudin on Nov. 14, in the presence of consuls general, Saudi dignitaries, businesspeople and journalists.
“We’re making a bigger push on innovative promotional breakthroughs … combining tourism fairs and cultural shows to attract more Saudi tourists to Indonesia and experience its rich culture and wonderful nature,” he said, adding that brotherly bilateral ties can be cemented through culture.
FASTFACTS
• Indonesia has launched a program to attract more Saudi tourists.
• It aims to increase the number of Saudis to 200,000 as part of a global visitor target of 20 million.
• Indonesia is one of the world’s largest archipelagos.
“Mutual understanding of each other’s cultures makes the two nations better understand each other, which will … lead to a stronger relation,” he said.
Indonesia is one of the world’s largest archipelago, with more than 17,000 islands famed for their beaches, wildlife and natural beauty.
