Foreigners flock to Maluku

AMBON, Maluku: Amid worries that tourism in many parts of the country is in decline, officials here proudly announced yesterday that tourist arrivals in the first four months of the year had nearly doubled compared to the same period last year.

The number of foreign tourists who visited Maluku from January to April was 11,545, an increase of 339.47 percent from 2,627 in the same period last year, the head of the provincial tourism, arts and culture office, Sudjoko Musaleh, said.

The number of domestic tourists in the first four months of the year was 20,654, an increase of 29.4 percent from 15,961 in the same period last year.

"The stable and calm situation in Maluku has attracted tourists to come to the province," Musaleh told Antara yesterday.

However he acknowledged that the foreign tourist surge was mainly caused by the arrival of six foreign yachts -- German ship MS Colombus, British ship Queen Elizabeth II, Japanese ship Asuka, and American ships Albatross, Princess Island and Crystal Symphony. (prb)