Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has participated in the 2022 South Asia's Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in India to promote Indonesian tourism and increase the number of foreign tourists' visits to Indonesia.

Indonesia's participation in the largest tourism fair in South Asia organised in New Delhi on May 18-20, 2022, also aims to showcase Indonesian tourism to the South Asian market, particularly targeting Indian audiences.

"Bali Island has welcomed foreign tourists since earlier this year by granting visas on arrival to foreign tourists from 60 countries," Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno noted in his statement received here on Thursday.

Apart from the visa on arrival facility, Indonesia has also revoked the requirement of the COVID-19 PCR test certificate for foreign tourists that arrived healthy in Indonesia, Uno remarked while adding that foreign tourists that had completed their vaccine doses can enter Indonesia conveniently.

Meanwhile, the ministry's secretary, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, stated that Indonesia's participation in the 2022 SATTE aims to facilitate Indonesian tourism industry actors to reactivate their business for the Indian market.

"This time, Indonesia has been selected as a (non-exclusive) partner country, which is a sign of appreciation to the ministry for its consistent participation in the SATTE tourism fair since 2008," Adnyani remarked.

The ministry's secretary noted that some 20 main tourism industry actors participating in the event have offered various tour packages for the Indian audience, including tourism packages on the popular Bali Island.

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Adnyani revealed that the five super-priority tourism destinations that would be promoted under the Wonderful Indonesia banner are the Borobudur Temple, Lake Toba, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, and Likupang.

India has become an important market for the Indonesian tourism industry, which has been the industry's market focus since 2016, she noted.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest increase was recorded in Indian tourist arrivals every year, she added.

"The great potential in the wedding and honeymoon segments makes (Indian tourists) to select Bali as their main destination for their marriage ceremony and to spend their honeymoon," Adnyani remarked.

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Translator: M Baqir Idrus A, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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