"It is most likely that Indian tourists are interested in visiting Bali, as the people of both nations embrace Hinduism-based culture," Made Sudana, a tour operator from Bali, stated here on Tuesday.
According to Sudana, it is only natural for Indians to be drawn to the land whose people and culture share similarities with their own country.
Moreover, Sudana pointed out that the close ties between the two nations had also contributed to the increase in the number of Indian tourist arrivals in Bali.
Sudana affirmed that the relationship, which had been followed up by cultural cooperation between Bali and India, was expected to attract Indians from the high-income group to visit the island.
The Indian cultural center built in Bali along with the opening of yoga centers will be able to attract more Indian tourists to Indonesia, especially Bali.
The 61.79 percent rise makes India the sixth-largest source of tourists visiting Bali.
Meanwhile, British tourists are ranked second after India, with 80,550 visitors arriving during the January-May 2016 period. This figure also increased by 48.63 percent as compared to the previous year.
China came third on the list, with an increase of 37.35 percent in tourist arrivals from 281,102 to 386,096.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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