Samar Yahya and Ayman Hassan
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The Consulate General of Indonesia held an Indonesian night to wrap up a five-day roadshow event held by Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General, to boost Saudi tourism to Indonesia.
Consul General Dharmakirty Syailendra Putra welcomed guests and the attendees were treated to a sumptuous fare of the Indonesian folk art and music.
Nia Niscaya, director of Europe, Middle East, America and Africa Promotion, Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia told Saudi Gazette: “We look at the statistics of perspective. The aim of the tour is to encourage more Saudis to visit Indonesia. We have seen positive growth in the number of Saudi tourists. Last year we received 180,000 tourists from the region, 60% of them are Saudis, the growth is positive, there are lots of opportunities in Saudi Arabia, we are eager to receive more Saudis in Indonesia.”
“During our tour in the three main cities of Saudi Arabia we came with 11 industries from Indonesia and during our meetings with travel agents they revealed that they received good response,” Nia added.
Nia said that they are confident that what Indonesia can offer match with the Saudis’ tastes and sentiments. The Indonesian culture, Halal food, Salah, Azan is all Muslim culture. Nevertheless nature in Indonesia is all green and that also suits Saudi tourists.
In Indonesia, though one can find diversity of languages and religions, the people are also part of the culture of Indonesia. They welcome tourists and one of the recognized heritages in Indonesia is massage. Different massage types are offered for babies, teenage girls, and adults.
“In Jakarta there are over 100 mosques, tourists can enjoy safari travels with all its wonders. Lombok is a new destination that we are promoting at present. Lombok was awarded in World Halal Travel Summit. It is an iconic destination, safe and 99% of residents are Muslims. Tourists from Saudi Arabia will enjoy oriental restaurants and the local food, which is close to Saudi cuisine. The weather also is moderate,” Nia continued.
“Tourists can land in Jakarta, travel to other destinations and they can leave back from Bali. Indonesia offers visa free travel for 90 countries including Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.
“We will cooperate with travel agents to have preset programs with competitive prices, to manage packages for vacations. We will also cooperate with national carrier to arrange for flights. Come to Indonesia and you will enjoy luxury vacation with affordable prices.
“With our new president, new government we have more budget and now we are promoting for Indonesia tourism,” Nia concluded.
