The meeting is aimed at supporting and implementing our agreed cooperation for tourism development."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesias Ministry of Tourism discussed concrete cooperation with Singapore in tourism and investment in that sector during the first joint working group meeting (JWGM) on tourism here, Friday.
The meeting was the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries, the ministrys deputy for international tourism marketing I Gde Pitana stated.
The MoU was signed in Semarang, Central Java, during Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongs visit in November 2016, followed by a bilateral meeting during the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2017 held in January in Singapore.
"The meeting is aimed at supporting and implementing our agreed cooperation for tourism development," Pitana noted.
During the meeting, delegations of the two countries discussed three main topics: cruise ships; the Meeting, Incentive, Conference, and Exhibition (MICE) industry; and investment in tourism.
Pitana expressed hope that the meeting would result in the formulation of concrete programs.
"There must be one program that could be directly implemented, whether it is related to cruise ships; joint promotion of MICE in Bintan, Batam or Karimun; or the determination of location for Singapores investment in Lake Toba, Mandalika, or Yogyakarta," he remarked.
According to Pitana, Indonesia will urge Singapores cruise operators to make a stopover at five major ports: Belawan, Tanjung Priok, Tanjung Perak, Benoa, and Tanjung Mas.
During its meeting in January, Singapore had expressed keenness to invest in the tourism sector in Lake Toba, Yogyakarta, and Mandalika.
The Singapore Tourism Board had made an initial visit to Lake Toba on Mar 21-23.
Pitana affirmed that the Indonesia-Singapore JWGM is expected to enhance bilateral cooperation in tourism, create new jobs, and improve the welfare of the local people.
(Reported by Hanni Sofia Soepardi/Uu.S022/INE/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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