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Jokowi, Modi meeting expected to attract more Indian tourists to Indonesia
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Jakarta and his meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo could increase Indian tourist interest in the country.
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High flyers: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi fly kites at the National Monument in Jakarta on Wednesday. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Jakarta and his meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is expected to boost Indonesia’s efforts to attract more visitors from India, says Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.
"The two heads of state can become endorsers that can increase tourist visits between the two countries," Arief said on Wednesday, after accompanying Jokowi to visit the Indonesia-India Kite Exhibition in Monas, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Jokowi and Modi also flew kites at the event, which was part of the prime minister's visit to the capital celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year.
"This year we are targeting 700,000 tourists from India or a 30 percent increase in the total number of Indians visiting Indonesia in 2017, which amounted to 485,000 tourists," Arief said.
The minister noted there were still challenges in the path to increasing the number of Indian tourists, mainly concerning accessibility and connectivity, including flights between the two countries.
"Right now, there is only a direct flight by Garuda Indonesia from Mumbai to Denpasar. In early May when I went to India, they requested a direct flight to New Delhi," Arief said.
To increase tourism, Arief also expressed the hope of inviting Indian celebrities to Indonesia.
"There is an offer for us to organize an Indian International Film Festival, however we would need major sponsors from businesses. Celebrities are prominent endorsers. We want to bring Indian artists to Bali," Arief said.
Read also: Indonesian destinations 'Beyond Bali' promoted in India
Arief further explained there were other challenges in bringing Indian tourists to destinations outside of Bali, saying that each destination had to have a recognizable icon, such as Yogyakarta, which is home to the iconic Prambanan Temple.
Moreover, he said, many Indians were vegetarians or vegans. "Twenty percent of Indian tourists are vegetarian, and there are many different types of this. The good thing is Garuda Indonesia has prepared special dishes," Arief said.
After flying the kites, Jokowi along with Modi also took time to look at the exhibition of various kites with unique images.
Some kites featured images from the Mahabrata, an Indian epic, as well as kites with images of Indonesia's signature wayang shadow puppets.
Kites remain popular in India, as each region boasts a unique interpretation of the flying toy.
After seeing the exhibition, the two heads of state posed for photos together and then visited the nearby Istiqlal Mosque, which is the country's biggest mosque. (liz/kes)
