S'pore, RI ministers to discuss tourism

S'pore, RI ministers to discuss tourism

Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong is making a two-day visit to
Jakarta to discuss ways of restoring the confidence of
international tourists in the tsunami-ravaged region, the
Singapore government said on Monday.

Yeo is meeting with Indonesia's Minister for Transportation
Hatta Radjasa and State Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero
Wacik through Tuesday.

Booking cancellations have affected the coastal areas of
Thailand, particularly Phuket, where more than 5,000 people died.
At least half were Westerners on vacation.

Bookings for Sri Lanka and the idyllic Maldives have also
plunged after the onslaught of killer walls of water on Dec. 26.

There has been a shift away from Southeast Asia for long-haul
flights to Australia, Europe and Canada, but Bali, Bangkok and
Kuala Lumpur are still popular destinations for regional
travellers, agents said.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Singapore
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had requested their respective
ministers in November to explore cooperation in tourism and civil
aviation.

The sector had rebounded from the deadly SARS virus in 2003
and the bird flu scare last year. -- DPA