RI named Asia's 2nd best travel destination

JAKARTA: Indonesia ranked second in the Go Asia Award in the "Best Travel Destination" category, behind Thailand and ahead of Malaysia, the government announced Friday.

The award was presented by German tourism institution Go Asia, which invited travel agent over the world to take part in the vote, on Wednesday in Berlin.

Go Asia also gave out awards for Asia's best tourism organizations or tourist boards, airlines and tour operators.

The Go Asia initiative was started in 2003 to enhance marketing in German-speaking regions.

Sapta Nirwandar, the Culture and Tourism Ministry's director general of marketing, said Friday the award was proof that tourism, which contributes US$7.5 billlion to the country's income, was able to stand out even during the global economy downturn. - JP