Solo, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is expecting eight million foreign tourist arrivals in 2012, Tourism and Creative Economy Deputy Minister Sapta Nirwandar said here on Saturday.

The target for this year was seven million and until now 5.3 million foreign tourtists had come to the country, he said after opening a national meeting of the Association of Indonesia Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita).

Indonesia had set a higher target for 2012 because the number of foreign tourists to Southeast Asian countries was expected to grow by around five percent due to improving conditions in the region.

"We should receive up to 10 million foreign tourists by 2014 if all tourism stakeholders cooperate. This is our challenge and the existing opportunity must be seized," he said.

"We ask all tourism players including travel bureaus, hotel operators, governments that have tourist objects to work together well to exploit the opportunity. The cooperation has actually run but needs to be made more progressive," he said.

The deputy minister said tourism potentials in the country were large and varied but not all have been developed well.
(Uu.H-YH/HAJM/B003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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