Assistant Deputy for Asia Pacific Market Development, Ministry of Tourism, Taufik Nur Hidayat, said here on Wednesday that India is a potential market as most Indian tourists are high-class travelers.
Indian tourists generally prefer hotels with five star facilities, so a specific strategy has to be put in place to attract more tourists to Indonesia.
"We must prepare what they need, such as adventure tour packages as well as comfortable and safe environment, Indian food, and a pleasant night atmosphere," he said.
The Ministry of Tourism, according to Taufik, is targeting Indian tourists, hoping that around 250 thousand people will visit the country in 2015, especially Bali, Jakarta and Batam (Riau Islands).
The tourism ministry also facilitates various Indonesian tourism players to participate in the South Asia Travel & Tourism Expo (Satte), last of which was held in New Delhi recently.
Taufik explained that the promotion of Wonderful Indonesia in Mumbai is part of the cultural diplomacy to strengthen emotional ties between the two countries, emphasizing that Indonesia has a close relationship with India in terms of history and culture.
In the ninth century, some Hindu kingdoms flourished in Java. Many Hindu relics are preserved by the people and the Indonesian government.
The spread of Islam in Indonesia also involves traders from Gujarat, India, who developed trade in various port cities in Indonesia.
In modern times, Indonesia, along with India, initiated the Asian-African Conference (AAC) in 1955 which resulted in Dasa Sila Bandung (the ten principles of Bandung).
The number of Indian tourists visiting Indonesia in 2016 is expected to increase by 10 percent to 300,000 visitors.
The Wonderful Indonesia promotion campaign in Mumbai is a combination of the two programs, namely selling tour packages and cultural festivals such as dance performances, culinary exhibitions and sasando music performances (featuring a Timorese traditional musical instrument).(WDY)
