SURABAYA: The Surabaya Tourism Promotion Board (STPB), in cooperation with 34 local travel agencies, is conducting a series of activities in Shanghai to attract more visitors from booming China to Surabaya and East Java.

On Tuesday, STPB executive director Yusak Anshori said in a press release the Shanghai promotion was being done at the right time, following the recent Mumbai bombings and the political turmoil in Bangkok, which were expected to turn Chinese visitors' eyes to Indonesia in general and Surabaya in particular.

"We can't depend too much on the sister-city program between Surabaya and Guangzhou and Xiamen. We are eyeing more Chinese citizens to visit Surabaya and other tourist destinations in the province," Yusak said, adding many travel agencies and local residents did not know much about the city.

He said travel agencies in Shanghai were also interested in promoting Surabaya to their client and had pledged to give promote Surabaya and East Java in great detail.

"Shanghai residents and businesspeople are interested in the golf and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) aspect," Yusak quoted Linda Ling, executive director of the Shanghai Business International Travel Service (SBIT), as saying last week in Shanghai.

Linda also pledged to bring 100 golfers from Shanghai to visit East Java next year, he added. --JP

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