RI, Malaysia, Thailand to jointly promote tourism

RI, Malaysia, Thailand to jointly promote tourism

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to
jointly promote tourism in their shared border area, an
Indonesian official said Saturday.

Henry Hutabarat, the head of the Indonesian Tourist Promotion
Board for North Sumatra, said the three countries would initially
promote tourism in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth
Triangle (IMT-GT), which is composed of the western states of
Malaysia, the southern section of Thailand and the Indonesian
provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau.

He said the three governments have agreed to provide
US$210,000 to assist tourist promotion in the growth area.

The three countries will give $70,000 each to the Malaysian,
Indonesian and Thailand Tourist Association, a regional tourist
promotion board based in Penang, Malaysia, in a bid to increase
tourist rates in the area.

The four Indonesian provinces will collectively provide a
total of $50,000 for the first stage, said Henry. The remaining
$20,000 for Indonesia's share would be provided at a later date.

He said the agreement to collect the funds was signed recently
by senior tourist officials from the three countries.

IMT-GT, established in Langkawi, Malaysia in July 1993, aims
to integrate the economies in the growth area. It is one of three
subregional cooperation schemes initiated by member countries of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle links Riau
province, including Batam, with Singapore and the Johor state in
Malaysia.

The Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth
Area connects Central and South Kalimantan, and Central and South
Sulawesi with Serawak of Malaysia, the southern provinces of the
Philippines and Brunei.

The development of areas of economic cooperation between ASEAN
countries is expected to strengthen economic links within
Southeast Asia.

Henry said provincial administrators and businesspeople of the
four provinces included in the IMT-GT had decided in a recent
meeting in Medan that they would share the burden to provide
Indonesia's portion of the funds. (gis)