NZ minister due here

JAKARTA (JP): New Zealand Minister for Tourism John Banks is due to arrive here today for a one day visit to explore ways of increasing cooperation with Indonesia in the tourist sector.

The New Zealand embassy announced here yesterday that the minister, who will be accompanied by the chief executive of the New Zealand Tourism Board, Ian Kean, will meet with Indonesian Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave.

Banks, who is on his way back to New Zealand from his visits to Canada and China, will also meet with several executives of Garuda Indonesia and host a luncheon for senior business executives of the tourist industry.

In the last 12 months, the number of New Zealanders visiting Indonesia increased by 16 percent to 30,000 over the figure for last year, while the number of Indonesians visiting New Zealand rose 35 percent to 10,000.

New Zealand will host the 1995 Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) conference in Auckland. PATA is now chaired by Joop. (05)