RI, Johor forge tourism pact

RI, Johor forge tourism pact

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's southern Johor state on Monday inked an agreement with the Indonesian government to jointly promote tourism in the state.

The deal will increase tourist arrivals to Johor and Indonesian regions around the area through joint cultural shows and sporting activities, said the state's tourism council general manager, Karim Hassan.

Karim said Indonesians made up the second highest tourist arrivals in the state after Singaporeans.

"Since early this year until September, half a million visitors from Indonesia entered Malaysia," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

The tourism industry, which is Malaysia's second highest foreign exchange earner, was badly hit earlier this year by the outbreak of the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). -- DPA