"Based on the latest information received from the foreign affairs ministry, several ambassadors are expected to participate in the event," Ilham Eka Hartawan, a spokesman for the Batam Enterprise Agency said.
He added that the ambassadors are expected to hold discussions with ministry officials, the local administration of Batam, and its businessmen before visiting the free trade zone.
Hartawan said the Batam Enterprise Agency has tied up with the foreign affairs ministry to promote the FTZ as an investment destination for participating countries.
He added that the agency also organized visits for prospective investors earlier this year, which included a delegation from ASEAN, visits from the Japanese ambassador to Singapore, the US ambassadors to Indonesia and Singapore as well as the Slovakian ambassador.
The agency expects the number of foreign investors coming to the region in 2012 to grow by 20 percent, compared with the previous year.
The director of Integrated Services, Dwi Djoko Wiwoho, pointed out that 80 new foreign investments were made in the region 2011, and expects that number to increase to 100 in 2012.
He added that this was an achievable target, given that Bantam's economy is conducive to setting up new businesses, it has a straightforward licensing process and competitive labor costs.
"The target for attracting 100 new foreign investments is indicative of Bantam's favorable investment climate, and reflected in the interest shown by several businessmen in setting up their businesses here," Wiwoho said.
To achieve this target, the agency is also preparing a massive promotional pitch for other investor countries, especially in Asia such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and Russia.
Wiwoho added that Asian countries are still better suited for economic investments than Europe and America, both of which are still struggling to recover from a financial crisis.
"Asian countries still have better economic prospects than Europe and the United States, which are still battling a global crisis. Asian countries also dominated the number of new investments made in Batam in 2011," he said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
