TEMPO.CO, Denpasar - Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud's holiday in Bali is expected to attract Middle East tourists to visit the island. In addition, Bali is now expected to provide Middle Eastern restaurants.

"I am sure businesses will follow their instincts. The potentials for [opening Middle Eastern restaurants] will rise like others, such as Indian and Korean [restaurants]" Bali's Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) chairman Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati said on Monday, March 6, 2017.

Tjokorda said there are not that many Middle Eastern restaurant and eateries in Bali, as the number of tourist arrivals from said region was less than 50,000 in 2016.

But he is optimistic that if King Salman's visit does indeed attract Middle East tourists, then the businesses will start to flourish.

"[Businesses] will read the market first," he said pointing out how after Indian tourist started flocking Ubud, Indian restaurant began to emerge.

The Associations Of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali recorded that there has been an increase in the number of tourist arrivals from Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, since 2014. From 2014 to 2015 the increase was 42 percent, and from 2015 to 2016 the number grew 59 percent.

In 2016, 48,284 Saudi Arabian tourists visited Bali.

The government aims to take the momentum of Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's visit to promote Indonesian tourism to Middle East tourists. The Tourism Ministry is expecting the state visit to boost the number of Middle Easter tourists visiting Indonesia by 50 percent.

The ministry claims to have spent half its promotion budget on TV station Al-Jazeera during King Salman's visit.

"Fifty percent of our budget for Al-Jazeera is spent now, to condition King Salman's visit," Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said in Jakarta Friday, March 3.

"He is one of the best endorsers in the Middle East market," Arief said about King Salman, whose visit is likened to an expensive but free commercial to Indonesia's tourism sector.

BRAM SETIAWAN | AMIRULLAH SUHADA