The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Jeddah, in coordination with the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, held a two-day exhibition on tourism and culture at Jeddah's Aziz Mall over the weekend. The expo aimed to further acquaint Saudis and expatriates of tourism opportunities in the multi-island Southeast Asian country, according to consulate officials. “We hope to achieve mutual tourism by sending groups to Indonesia, as well as receiving Indonesian tourists who want to visit various areas in the Kingdom, such as Taif, rather than only Makkah and Jeddah, which they already know,” said Luay Kanetah, reprehensive of the Taif Chamber of Commerce at the expo and member of the mountain city's Tourism Committee. He added that more than 1,000 Indonesian tourists had visited Taif during 2007 under the auspices of the Tourism Committee. “That's why we held this event today (Wednesday,)” added Kanetah. Yaqout Abdullah Mansour, the Consul General of Indonesia in Jeddah, said the exhibition is an important tool to acquaint Saudis and expatriates with the world's biggest Muslim country. “We aim to show Saudis as well as expatriates our country's tourist, traditional, and Islamic sites,” he said. “We are also going to present gifts to children and their families who come to know more about Indonesia.” At the expo, a raffle was held to give away free trips to Indonesia to three families. Also, the organizers started a three-day business meeting at Le Meridian Hotel in Jeddah on Saturday, where 14 Indonesian travel agents will meet with Saudi counterparts. More and more Saudi and Arab tourists are traveling to Indonesia thanks to its more reasonable costs, while still offering the same leisure amenities as everywhere else. “Many Saudis prefer to visit Indonesia rather than other Arab countries, because Indonesia is considered something of a new experience, what with more than 17,500 lush green islands spread across some 5,000 kilometer of tropical ocean that enjoy the tropical weather,” said Mansour. “Tourism is at an international standard, with shopping centers, hotels, and fantasy lands for children.” “The number of tourists in Indonesia has reached 5.5 million during 2007, which is considered the highest record in ten years,” added Mansour. “We expect this number to reach around eight million. That means 80,000 Arab tourists, most of them Saudis.” __
