INDONESIA OPTIMISTIC OF ATTRACTING MORE MIDDLE EASTERN TOURISTS by Fardah

 Jakarta, March 11, 2017 (Antara) - Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is delighted to have Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud holidaying in Bali, as it serves as a major promotion for the resort island.

        The minister expressed gratitude to the King, as the visit received global attention that has turned out to be a huge though free promotion for Bali.    
   The Ministry of Tourism has recommended several places in Bali that can be visited by the King of Saudi and the royal family.

        As the King and his entourage, comprising several princes, seem to enjoy their stay in Bali, they have decided to extend their vacation until Sunday (March 12), from Thursday (March 9) as earlier scheduled.

         The Saudi embassy in Jakarta had sent a letter informing the stay duration extension to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, confirmed Adjunct Senior Commissioner Hengky Widjaja of the Bali Police, on March 7.

         In the letter, the Saudi embassy informed the ministry that the King and his entourage decided to extend their holiday in the world's most famous resort island of Bali until March 12, 2017, with the duration of their stay now being eight days.

          Despite intensified security efforts, the activities of King al-Saud while vacationing in Bali have been kept firmly under wraps to safeguard their privacy.

          The Saudi King and his 1.5 thousand-member entourage, have booked five luxury hotels located on the beaches lining the Indian Ocean.

          The hotels include St Regis, Mulia, and Lagoon located in Nusa Dua, Badung District, and Bulgari in Uluwatu, also in Badung District.

          Several media reports said that King Salman al-Saud is fond of beaches and sea breeze.

          The picturesque white sand beaches around those hotels have a fencing of bamboo covered with white cloth.     
    The Saudi King is holidaying in Bali after paying a state visit to Jakarta on March 1-3, which is considered to be historical as a Saudi king had lasted visited Indonesia 47 years ago.

         Sharing the tourism minister's view, Vice President Jusuf Kalla stated that the King extending his stay in Bali is a great promotion for Indonesian tourism, especially for foreign tourists from the Middle East.

        Kalla said this decision to extend the vacation demonstrates that Indonesia is an attractive tourist destination.

        Bali, with various aspects ranging from natural beauty, culture, culinary, and religious diversity, has been recognized as one of the world's best tourist resort islands.

        Meanwhile, Minister Arief Yahya also views King Salman al-Saud as "the best endorser," taking into account his strong influence both on the people of Saudi and the Middle East nations.

        Yahya expressed hope that the King's visit to Bali would lead to a 50 percent increase in the number of Arab tourists to Bali from 240 thousand visitors in 2016 to 360 thousand this year.

        Saudi tourist arrivals, which comprised 80 percent of the total visitor arrivals from the Middle East, are expected to increase significantly.

        Arab tourists are known for having a high spending power, which is almost two folds more than that of most foreign tourists.

        With a stay duration of up to 11 days, Middle East tourists can spend as much as US$2,342 (Rp32.7 million) per day during their holidays compared to that of other foreign tourists at around $1,200 (Rp16.8 million) per day for an average five-day vacation.

        "They mostly stay in five-star hotels and bring along their families as well as housemaids," Nia Niscaya, an official of the Tourism Ministry, stated.

        Indonesia's optimism might become a reality, as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have agreed on an unlimited flight frequency between the two countries.

        The unlimited frequency will be applicable at five airports in Indonesia and four airports in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry's Director General of Air Transportation Agus Santoso remarked recently.

        Director of Air Transportation Maryati Karma said five Indonesian airports that will serve unlimited flights from Saudi Arabia include the Kualanamu Airport in Medan, Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, and Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta.

        The four Saudi airports are located in Madinah, Damam, Riyadh, and Thaif.

        Indonesia's airlines that have served the Saudi's routes are Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya, Citilink, and Lion Air.

        The increase in flight frequency is mainly to serve pilgrims going for Hajj and Umrah to Saudi Arabia, however it is also expected to have a positive impact on Indonesia's tourism.

        Bali Island is, so far, still Indonesia's "prima donna," as it is ideal for all types of tourists, including those with special interests.

        "Bali is suitable for tourists from any country, as it offers various tourism activities, in addition to its icon as a cultural tourist destination," Ketut Ardana, chairman of the Indonesian Travel Agency Association chapter of Bali, said.

          Bali offers adventure, maritime, spiritual, yoga, spa, culinary, art, and meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition tourism, as well as special interest tourism.

          Moreover, the island caters to the needs of tourists of various age groups, from the younger generation to retirees, he remarked.

          Tourists from any country and having various characteristics will find Bali an enjoyable place for a vacation.

        Those from a different culture could also be accommodated and be able to receive special treatment, he added.  ***1***
(f001/INE/o001)
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 11-03-2017