TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government aims to attract more tourists from the Middle East. By 2019, the government hopes to have 20 million Middle Eastern tourist visits.

"We continue to push for the increase of tourist arrivals from the Middle Eastern region to Indonesia," said Ahrul Tsani Fathurrahman, head of social and political information at the Indonesian Embassy for Saudi Arabia, Arab News reported as quipped by Bisnis Indonesia.

Fathurahman made the statement during a symposium held by the Indonesian Embassy for Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry and the Indonesian Consulate General held in Jeddah, November 24.

To promote Indonesian tourism to the Middle Eastern market, the consulate general in Jeddah is holding a series of promotional event and trade missions from November 18 to 20.

"This trade mission is a strategy to promote Indonesia as a travel destination and to attract Middle Eastern investors the tourism sector," he said.

Saudi tourists, Fathurahman said, make the largest contribution compared to other Middle Eastern countries. "To meet the 20-million Middle Easter tourist target, the Indonesian government is has waived visas for citizens of 90 countries, including Saudi Arabia," he said.

Medrial Alamsyah, a tourism observer from the Center for Indonesia Tourism Studies, said that four million tourists from Saudi Arabia travel abroad to spend around US$6.4 billion.

SETIAWAN ADIWIJAYA