RI targets 7 million foreign tourists next year
Indonesian government targets 7 million of foreign tourists in 2010, an increase from this year's estimation of 6.4 million, an official said on Tuesday.<br /><br />Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Director General of Marketing Sapta Nirwandar said that the government also targeted US$7.5 billion of foreign exchange from tourism in 2010.<br /><br />"It may seem hard to reach but we, along with all of tourism-related institutions across the nation, have pledged to work hard in order to achieve that targets," Sapta told the press.<br /><br />Sapta claimed that the growth of foreign tourists in Indonesia in 2009 was better than those of other Southeast Asian countries.<br /><br />"Our growth is 2.9 percent while Malaysia's is 2.1 percent," he said optimistically.<br /><br />Sapta said that Indonesia would focus on community based promotions rather than advertising. "Advertisement is expensive, our budget may be absorbed greatly," he said. (bbs)