JAKARTA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia expects to see the influx of more visitors from the Middle East after the ongoing visit by Saudi Arabian King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The Saudi Arabian king who started state visit to Indonesia on March 1 and will conclude his tour to the country on March 9, brought with him 1,500 family members. The king and his family members are spending most of their visiting days in Bali.
The visit by the Saudi Arabian royal family is exceptional for Indonesia as it made investment commitments and it is also an event that promotes Indonesian tourism, particularly for potential visitors from the Middle East.
"King Salman is a great figure and is highly respected in the Middle East. He is the greatest endorser for (Indonesian) tourism in the region," Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said on Wednesday.
The minister expected that the Saudi Arabian king's visit would spur the number of visitors from the Middle East up to 360,000 this year, or 50 percent from the 240,000 people recorded last year.
Echoing the minister, Chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurants Association (PHRI) Haryadi Sukamdani said that the ongoing Saudi Arabian royal visit would result in very positive impacts on the Indonesian tourism and hospitality industry in Bali.
"I can assure you that visitors from the Middle East would be increasing. King Salman is like a magnet that would always be followed by people in that region," Haryadi said, adding that the positive impact from the visit would continue in years to come.
King Salman and his entourage had previously booked lavish five-star hotels in Jakarta and Bali's upscale tour destination areas of Nusa Dua long before their coming to Indonesia for the visit.
They also booked luxury cars to transport the royal family members during their stay in Jakarta and Bali.
Citing the data compiled by the PHRI, Haryadi said a Saudi Arabian visitor used to spend 2,200 U.S. dollars during their vacation in Indonesia, with the length of stay spanning from 12 days to 13.5 days and 68 percent of them staying in five-star hotels.
Indonesia is trying its best efforts to bolster its tourism since the nation has reset the sector as its core business, leaving behind oil and gas, coal and palm oil.
Ten new tourism destinations are now being developed across the country to tap more foreign visits to the nation.
Indonesia has witnessed the increasing number of foreign visitors in the past years and expects to welcome more foreign visitors in the coming years.
