Indonesia to promote tourism in Nordic countries

Oleg, Balinese dance performed by a pair of dancers.

The Tourism Ministry in Indonesia aims to attract more tourists from Nordic countries in Northern Europe during the Nordic Travel Fair next week in Helsinki, Finland, where it will showcase Indonesian culture in its pavilion.

The Indonesian government expects the travel fair to be held from January 19 to 22, to help tap into the tourism potential of the Nordic region, which includes Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland — countries with a combined population of 27 million and per capita income of $55,235.

“Europe is one of the main continents of origin for foreign visits, and we expect 2.1 million tourists from the region to come to Indonesia this year,” the Tourism Ministry’s deputy for overseas promotion, I Gde Pitana, said on Wednesday.

As of October 2016, the ministry recorded 95,196 visitors from Nordic countries, which by year-end was expected to surpass the figure of 98,960 visitors in 2015.

At the travel fair, the ministry will set up a pavilion to display traditional Indonesian folk dances and cuisine.

The government has targeted 15 million tourists this year, an increase from the target of 12 million tourists in 2016. (est)

Source: The Jakarta Post