TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - After making several considerations, the Tourism Ministry has finally decided to provide financial support for Indonesian F1 driver Rio Haryanto. The Ministry plans to provide Rp5 to 6 billion for Rio.
"We have prepared around Rp5 to Rp6 billion. However, we are still discussing how it will be used," said I Gde PItana, Deputy of Foreign Tourism Marketing Development Division of the Tourism Ministry on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
Pitana said that the fund could be used to support Rio in major tourism market countries, such as Malaysia or Japan. "We could not support [Rio] in every series," Pitana said.
In response to the Ministry's plan, Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi admitted that he has not received report on the financial support prepared by the Tourism Ministry for Rio.
"My goodness, it's such a small amount; [the Tourism Ministry] could provide at least Rp50 billion," Imam said on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
RISA WIDIASTUTI