Indonesia wants more Indian tourists

New Delhi, Jan 28 : Indonesia wants to increase Indian tourist arrivals to the country by nearly five times in five years, and is keen to lure them to its other attractions, besides the perennial favourite Bali.

Nearly 110,000 Indian tourists travelled to Indonesia in 2009, which is a fraction of total foreign arrivals. Now, Indonesia plans to target 500,000 Indian tourists in five years.

With direct flights to Indonesia in the pipeline, Indonesia tourism officials hope this number will be easily reached.

The Indonesian ministry of tourism and culture's director of international promotions, I. Gde. Pitana said that while Indians were familiar with Bali, they were not yet looking beyond the well-known destination.

"India is a very, very important potential market. I think Indians will really like Indonesia because of its historical and psychological accessibility," he said at a press interaction.