JAKARTA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia garnered record-breaking transactions of 260 billion rupiah (about 20.15 million U.S. Dollars) in the recent Asia travel trade show event, landslide higher than 30 billion rupiah (about 2.3 million U.S. Dollars) it recorded in the same event last year.
An official at Indonesia's tourism ministry said that the accomplishment was exceptional as the ministry initially targeted to see a 30 percent transactions growth, or 40 billion rupiah (about 3 million U.S. Dollars), in the event.
"It apparently grew 746 percent from it was in 2015. Wonderful Indonesia grows stronger as favored destinations," Assistant Deputy for Foreign Market Development section at the ministry Rizky Handayani Mustafa said in a statement released on Monday.
She added that those transactions came up from 1,578 appointments, involving 71,553 passengers.
The enormous achievement figure was reaped in B to B (Business to Business) forum of Internationale Tourismus Borse (ITB) Asia that ran from Oct. 19 to 21 in Singapore.
Indonesia sent 90 travel businessmen in the event, she said.
Most potential travelers eager to travel to Indonesia for vacation come from China, India and Europe, according to Rizky.
ITB Asia was an international travel trade event organized by Germany-based Messe Berlin.
Indonesia's tourisms brand of Wonderful Indonesia earned prestigious award, namely Best Destination Marketing Award 2016, from an influential traveling media outlet Travel Weekly Asia.
The archipelago nation of Indonesia is now enhancing efforts to further develop tourism industry in anticipating the ensuing global economy that has hindered its major earner sectors of oil and gas, coal and palm oil.
Ten new tour destinations are now being developed across the nation, highly expected to par with Indonesia's resort island of Bali which has been favored by foreign tourists.
Those new tour sites were Toba Lake, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Lesung, Thousands Island and old city in Jakarta, Borobudur temple, Bromo volcano, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo, Wakatobi and Morotai.
Related ministries are engaged in the orchestrated efforts to meet the goal.
To facilitate foreign tourists during their stay in the country, Indonesian tourism ministry has consolidated state-run hotels, launched homestay program and actively taken part in designing access for tourists to enter the country.
Indonesia pinned high hopes on tourism sector as a major earner in the future, expecting more than 24 billion U.S. Dollars to be generated from the sector in 2019.
